Jesuit Social Services
Mr KENNEDY (Hawthorn) (09:45): Sitting opposite the Hawthorn electorate office is Ignite Cafe, next door to the Camberwell Library, where my staff team and I gather at 8.30 am for tea and coffee every Monday to plan the week ahead. Jesuit Social Services run Ignite Cafe as a not-for-profit training enterprise, giving young people valuable and useful skills in the catering industry, which often leads them into stable employment. This is just one of many highly successful projects undertaken by Jesuit Social Services since it commenced in 1977, working with people who are the most marginalised. It continues to look forward with hope and courage, in the words of its CEO, Julie Edwards, ‘as we strive to build a just society’. Saturday night, 14 March, is the annual Jesuit Social Services dinner in the members dining room at the MCG. My wife, Bronwyn Lane, and I have a table of 10, with two spare places. Parliamentary colleagues would be most welcome to join us. Send me an email of interest and I will send details and a TryBooking link if you decide to come along for a little fun and a great cause. It is always a good night. I commend Jesuit Social Services.