What began with three Woodleigh students wanting to give something back to people affected by cancer became a beautiful morning of creativity, connection and care at The Bays Cancer Care Centre.
Savannah, Amelia and Sarah were inspired by having someone they love affected by cancer. For a school project, they created care packs for people receiving cancer treatment and those who had been through cancer, reaching out to local businesses to fill them with thoughtful gifts of comfort and encouragement.
But they wanted to do more than hand over a gift. They wanted to meet the people they were supporting, hear their stories and create an opportunity for genuine connection.
That idea evolved into Weaving for Wellbeing, a morning of weaving, conversation and reflection at the Community Bank Mount Martha Wellness Centre. Amelia’s mum, Indigenous artist Juanita, led the group in creating with raffia and dianella, sharing how weaving and coming together with others can support connection and wellbeing.
As everyone settled into their weaving, there was time to chat, share stories or simply enjoy the quiet concentration of creating something by hand.
One participant, a teacher currently undergoing cancer treatment, became emotional as she spoke about how moved she was by the girls’ decision to reach out to people experiencing cancer.
At the end of the morning, participants received one of the care packs lovingly prepared by the girls. The remaining packs were hand-delivered to The Bays Day Infusion Unit to be shared with more people receiving treatment.
A beautiful reminder that support through cancer can take many forms — a conversation, a creative activity, a thoughtful gift, or simply letting someone know they are not alone.
Thank you to Savannah, Amelia, Sarah, the Woodleigh community and Juanita for turning a simple idea into such a meaningful experience.