Providing support for primary aged children in crisis.
CHIPS’ mission is to assist primary aged children, and their families, who have experienced trauma, grief or loss in their lives, by connecting them with positive people and linking them with other local agencies, to help establish on-going family support. Established in 1999, CHIPS is a non-profit organisation based in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne.
All of CHIPS’ programs are tailor-made to assist primary school communities with their specific needs, which also includes supporting Principals and school staff who are under stress and facing difficulties, either personally, or as a result of their occupation.
Some of CHIPS’ current programs are: Life Gets Better Camps- for children who have experienced trauma, grief or loss, or whose parents have divorced; iBelong Programs- aim to reconnect primary aged children with their peers, teachers, parents and significant others through relationship building activities and has three main objectives: to show children how they belong in the community; that they are an important part of the community and how their needs are met when they are part of the wider community; In-School Programs- for children to address issues such as bullying, friendship difficulties, anger management, stress and anxiety; School Support Seminars- for school staff, parents, students and volunteers; Emergency assistance (for families impacted by natural disasters, health pandemics, etc); Upskill Training Nights- training for ALL members of the community who are interested in learning about how trauma effects children and how to calm them so they can reconnect with others; Events for families- to build community connection; and fun, family-friendly Fundraising Events.
CHIPS is well known in the local Casey/Cardinia area for their work with primary aged children in crisis and won the Casey Volunteer Organisation of the Year Award in 2010 and 2014. CHIPS' CEO Eric Wieckmann (aka Captain Eric) is a dynamic speaker and presents CHIPS' programs in local schools, businesses and community groups and won the Casey Citizen of the Year Award in 2005. His wife Cathy, who is the Office Manager, was also awarded the Casey Citizen of the Year in 2016 for her work in helping to establish and organise CHIPS’ key programs. In 2018 a long term CHIPS Volunteer (Ray) was awarded the Casey Senior Citizen of the Year and in 2019 CHIPS' Volunteer and Event Coordinator (Mellissa) won the Casey Citizen of the Year Award.
CHIPS has approximately 300 volunteers who assist in varying capacities with running their activities and programs each year. CHIPS' volunteers come from a variety of backgrounds and beliefs, but are all passionate about helping children to realise their potential in life.
CHIPS screens, trains and equips each volunteer to safely support and encourage the children attending their programs. CHIPS is committed to providing a safe environment for all children and protecting them from any form of harm, including abuse. CHIPS values diversity and does not tolerate any discriminatory practices.
CHIPS relies on donations and fundraising events to provide their programs for local primary school communities and would not be able to continue this vital work without your financial help.
Help support this cause by creating your own 'CrowdRaiser' fundraising page.
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