When giving a gift at Christmas, sometimes a little bit of thought can go a long way.
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This was the thinking behind a United Way Ballarat initiative, which paired businesses with its partnering community agencies.
Anita Godfrey from Telstra Ballarat said the company managed to fulfil a wishlist from clients at McCallum Disability Services, who might not have otherwise received anything for Christmas.
“McCallum was able to give us what each client was interested in so we were able to target our gifts to something they really wanted,” she said.
Gifts included a butterfly long stitch kit for a woman who did crafts, a bombers coffee cup and gift card for an Essendon supporter, and a framed photograph of a train for a man passionate about mechanics.
While many Ballarat businesses were involved in the initiative, Telstra Ballarat went a step further with employees requesting to hand deliver the gifts themselves at a special morning tea.
“They (the clients) were very excited to see us and it’s really nice for us to see who it goes to,” Ms Godfrey said.
“The reactions were beautiful – they were really happy, that’s probably the best word to describe them.”
Those too sick to make the morning tea would receive their special gift at a later date.
Ms Godfrey said Telstra had a long history of workplace giving and volunteering, and presenting the gifts in person made for a more meaningful exchange.
Telstra is also offering free calls on payphones across the country over the Christmas period to enable people doing it tough financially to contact loved ones and friends. The initiative runs until December 28.