Compass

The second annual Pyney’s Pie Day was held on Saturday September 3rd with a record number of bakeries across Australia participating to help raise funds for local charity Compass.

Pyney’s Pie Day is the brainchild of Shaun Pyne, a former mortgage broker turned pie connoisseur and social media sensation whose social media site www.facebook.com/pyneyspiereviews regularly clocks up hundreds of thousands of views.

“Last year our inaugural Pyney’s Pie Day raised over $50,000 to help fund DV and mental health programs and after participating in a Compass Golf Day last year and then seeing the incredible work they do with their trainees at their Palmwoods farm, I knew we could make a real difference.

“I’m thrilled to have 69 bakeries across Australia including 15 from Caloundra to Gympie committed to participate this Saturday with $1 from the sale of each pie going straight to Compass.  I’m encouraging everyone to get into their local participating outlets as we aim to raise $100,000 this year and my long term fundraising goal is to hit $1 million from a single day of selling pies,” Shaun said.

Shaun and his wife have spent much of the past year travelling across Queensland and interstate, visiting small towns and supporting local bakeries by purchasing, eating, reviewing and promoting the humble pie and the town where they originate.

“Regional towns across Australia are doing it really tough and just like the local pub, family owned bakeries are the centrepiece of most towns but they are a dying breed. I’m keen to visit every pie shop in Australia to help promote tourism and the great pies from each town,” he said.

Compass Head of Business and Growth Sandra Brodie said she was thrilled Compass was chosen to be this year’s charity of choice for Pyney’s Pie Day.

“We just love everything that Shaun is doing and to be the beneficiary of this year’s fundraising is not only great for us financially, but it also helps raise awareness of the life changing work we undertake with all of our trainees.

“It’s such a fun yet simple way to fundraise, there’s a pie to suit almost every taste so it’s easy for everyone to participate and it’s really rewarding to know $1 from the sale of each pie goes direct to Compass,” Sandra added.

 

Participating Sunshine Coast bakeries include:

• Kenilworth Bakery – Kenilworth and Mooloolaba
• Woombye Bakery
• Maleny Bakery
• The Pie Guy Maleny
• The Yard/Beach Rd Coffee Co
• Pomona Bakery
• Peregian Bakery
• The German Bakehouse at Coolum and Cooroy
• The Bunker Smokehouse Gympie (doing Friday)
• Noosa Outlook Bakery
• Richies Bakery at Tewantin and Cooroy
• Ricks Artisan Pies and Sourdough – Noosa

 

To find out more about this brilliant initiative and this full list of participating bakeries contributing to the cause,  visit https://www.transformalife.org.au/home

 

A number of local businesses and community groups have come together to help transform Nambour’s Compass Connections Café into a funky food, coffee and art destination with the ultimate goal of elevating how disability is seen within the community.

Compass Head of Business and Growth Sandra Brodie said the Connections Café opened six years ago with the goal of providing real world vocational opportunities and skills-based training for people with disabilities, which included food preparation, cooking, waiting on tables, point of sale and even barista skills.

“Compass Connections Café has become one of our most successful and vibrant social enterprises. The community has really embraced us since day one and have become part of the fabric of the café.

“The best part is seeing the interactions between customers and our Trainees. The Trainees love engaging with people and take real pride in serving them, they know they have a genuine valued role to play every day and that really shines through. They bring so much joy and presence into every encounter, and because of that our customers are always walking away with a smile and an experience of something that feels unique.

“We’ve had over 50 Trainees undertake vocational training at the café since we opened in 2016. They all work closely in a supported environment alongside our full-time staff to ensure customers have a memorable experience. Our team serves beautiful breakfast and lunch meals, as well as sweet treats that are all made in-house, and a full selection of coffees, teas and milkshakes from Monday to Friday.

“Whilst the café has been operating successfully for six years, we saw the potential to really take it to the next level. A big driver for that and other major transformations we’ve done recently, including our retail social enterprise in Nambour, Wabi Sabi Creations, comes from our vision to raise the profile of people with disabilities and to shift perceptions of what they are capable of.

“The end result of our stage one refurbishment of the café is incredible. It’s not only a café with a purpose, it’s a showcase of the incredible talents across Compass and presented in way that’s worthy of any trendy city in Australia, whilst still being welcoming and inclusive.

“Customers are greeted with a stunning range of artwork on the wall and shelves, which have been produced by Compass trainees, and 80% of the furniture is either second-hand or re-purposed from across the Sunshine Coast community, so it’s got that funky feel which makes you want to stay a little longer while you soak in the atmosphere,” Sandra said.

Compass CEO David Dangerfield said the Café’s three week major transformation would not have been possible without the support of the local business community.

“What we have created is something unique, a destination café with a purpose, that has become a hallmark of the Nambour community. And it would not have been possible without the assistance of our long term partners at Cricks Sunshine Coast who have supported us since we first opened six years ago.

“The Sundale Foundation also provided grant funding in support of the beautiful mural out the front of the building, which was completed by local street artist Ross Holloway. The mural is now part of the Nambour Street Art Trail and ensures our café is a destination for locals and visitors alike.

“Danni Morrison of Design By Danni worked closely with us on our previous Nambour transformation project, Wabi Sabi, and has been instrumental to the new design of the space in helping to bring our vision to life, alongside local builder Matt Hynes of Hynes Built, who spent countless hours completing the renovations of the space and did an incredible job.

“We’ve also ramped up our offer with off-site catering while a number of local businesses people and community groups use the café for meetings. Everyone gets a kick out of it because they know they are supporting a really unique social enterprise – and the good news is that this is just the beginning! We are now gearing up to take the café to another exciting level so I encourage people to watch this space.” David added.

Connections Café is one of many social enterprises operated by the Compass Institute. Compass has also established other cafes in Tanawha and Caloundra, a fully functional 20 acre organic farm with art spaces, woodworking and a commercial kitchen, the Wabi Sabi retail outlet, and an Assistance Dogs Program. These enterprises complement their leading edge learning and development campuses, which operate from Caboolture through to Gympie, all aimed at supporting and empowering young people with physical and/or intellectual disabilities.

Watch this story on Channel 7 News:

This April, Compass delivered its first ever Autism Awareness Campaign, designed to “Shine A Light” on Autism Spectrum Disorders and to raise funds in support of Compass programs and services that support local people with ASD.

This campaign was powered by local electricity provider, LPE, and included a range of events and activations across April to raise awareness of ASD, drive acceptance and understanding, and to raise funds.

Compass has a range of programs that have been developed to support children and young adults on the spectrum and are proud to work every day to ensure that the community is inclusive for all abilities and also is a place where opportunity is available.

Compass beyond grateful to sponsors LPE, who are leaders in their field and an exemplary organisation supporting local organisations and providing local jobs. Compass also partnered with 92.7 MIX FM and Todd & Sami, My Weekly Preview, Sunshine Coast News, Sunshine Valley Gazette, White’s IGA and Cérge.

Over the course of April, Compass:

• Hosted over 160 local businessmen and women at the Compass Institute Race Night on 1^st April, which on its own, raised over $11,000 towards the Compass Assistance Dogs (CAD) program. The CAD Program trains and gifts puppies to support local children with ASD and has proven time and again to be an incredibly successful early intervention program that can completely change the trajectory of a child’s life and that of their family.
• Ran a very successful Corporate Workshop to business leaders from across multiple leading organisations on the Coast on “Understanding Autism and How It Can Make You A Better Leader”
• Received full sponsorship of a Compass Assistance Dog from campaign partners LPE to the value of $30,000
• Raised over $37,000 from our 10-day on-air appeal with Todd and Sammi on MIX FM, which will go towards ASD-specific resources and programs across Compass Campuses
• Delivered many informative and interactive training sessions for staff across Compass Campuses to ensure internal up-skilling and continued high quality service provision in this space
• Welcomed over 100 people to the Coast’s first ever Silent Disco, which was a HUGE hit and also introduced us to many new faces from the disability community who had an incredible time at what was a very fun and all-inclusive night

In total, Compass raised over $77,000 directly as a result of our April Campaign, shared multiple powerful real-life stories with the community and welcomed many new partners on board.

This will be the first of many Compass Autism Awareness Campaigns and we look forward to continuing to build on our mission to raise awareness, understanding and funds in support of local people with ASD.

For more information, visit our Campaign website at www.lightitupblue.org.au

 

 

Division 10 Councillor David Law, along with Compass Founder and CEO, David Dangerfield, has officially opened the Compass Institute’s new retail social enterprise in Nambour, “Wabi Sabi Creations”.

Wabi Sabi Creations is a unique social enterprise selling hand-crafted pieces made by local people with disabilities in a supported environment, who attend one of the many Compass Institute Campuses. It will also soon offer opportunities for people with intellectual and/or physical disabilities attending Compass to undertake supported retail traineeships in the store.

“I am delighted to celebrate the opening of Wabi Sabi Creations here in the centre of Nambour”, said Cr David Law.

“There are two key features with this new retail outlet coming to town. Firstly they are demonstrating their belief in Nambour and its strong future. And secondly, it makes perfect sense for Wabi Sabi Creations to choose Nambour because our town is known for its diverse community where everyone belongs.”

Wabi Sabi Creations is one of many social enterprises founded by the Compass Institute, all of which aim to provide hands-on skills-based training and vocational pathways to people with disabilities, along with challenging community perceptions about what people with disabilities are really capable of.

“There is a hidden assumption in mainstream society that a person with a disability is a liability”, said Mr. Dangerfield. “And that as such, they are best supported by welfare style solutions.

“At Compass we start with the assumption that a person with a disability is an asset, and like all assets, is best supported by learning, development and vocational opportunities.

“The Compass social enterprise model opens up a world of opportunity for people with a disability to experience and be seen in valued roles – as shop assistants, as creative artists, as baristas and very importantly, as role models to younger children with disabilities who can begin to dream that they can be whatever and whoever they want to be.

Wabi Sabi Creations also adds to Compass’ growing presence in Nambour. In May this year, Compass opened a new Learning and Development Campus just across the courtyard in C-Square – its sixth Campus – focusing on structured learning, development and creative programs for people with intellectual disabilities.

Compass has also been successfully operating a social enterprise café on Nambour Connection Road, Connections Café, for over 5 years now. This enterprise has offered meaningful vocational opportunities for over 50 young people with disabilities over this time and is about to undergo a transformation to allow for even bigger opportunities in the near future.

“Compass has successfully transplanted into Nambour, a complete ecosystem that supports school leavers to access further learning, skills-based training and genuine vocational experiences”, said Mr. Dangerfield.

“We encourage the young person to explore their abilities, to think big and to work hard to become their ideal self.

“We’ve been asked ‘Why Nambour?’, and the response is: Because we believe in Nambour as a community of people, who want the best for their sons and daughters whether they have a disability or not.

“When you believe in people and in communities, they invariably rise up to meet those expectations. Compass is proud to be a part of the redevelopment of this community.”

The Compass Institute has been operating for over 25 years and provides further education, skills-based training and vocational pathways to young people with intellectual and physical disabilities across multiple campuses and social enterprises from Caboolture through to Gympie.

You will find the new Wabi Sabi Creations store at C-Square, 52-64 Currie St, Nambour.

Compass has this week opened their brand new Campus in heart of Nambour! Ted O’Brien MP, Federal Member for Fairfax, officially opened the new Nambour premises, alongside Compass Founder and CEO, David Dangerfield.

“The team at Compass do a fantastic job, and I’m really honoured to support them,” Mr O’Brien said.

“I have taken an active interest in the role they play here on the Sunshine Coast, supporting people with intellectual and physical disabilities. I think that C-Square will really come to represent Compass Square in Nambour. From now on, when you think C-Square Nambour, you think Compass.

“They are going to bring such goodness to this area and I’m absolutely delighted. The real winners out of this – it isn’t Compass, it’s actually Nambour, and I’m delighted because Compass and Nambour will grow together.”

The Compass Institute provides further education, skills based training and vocational pathways to young people with intellectual and physical disabilities.

Compass Founder and CEO, David Dangerfield, said, “Compass has grown from humble origins supporting three young men with disabilities in a community hall in Palmwoods to now providing support to 166 people and their families through six campuses from Caboolture to Gympie.

“I refer to them as campuses because of their focus on learning and development opportunities. We have always challenged the implicit notion that people with a disability are liabilities requiring welfare.

“Compass is a showcase that allows people with disabilities to demonstrate that they are in fact assets to their community. Like all assets their potential is unlocked through structured learning and development programs and of course – opportunity.

“Compass also has a range of very successful social enterprises that provide the opportunity for people with disability to participate in meaningful ways in their community and to experience that sense of achievement and pride we all feel at the end of a job well done.

The new premises will allow Compass to create a new leading-edge learning and development centre in the heart of Nambour.

“Locating dynamic institutions like Compass into C-Square is going to give Nambour a real boost,” Mr O’Brien added.

“We need to more inclusive if we are going to build better and more resilient communities, and this is a great initiative.”

Looking ahead, Compass hopes to offer market stalls, art installations, music, and other performance events throughout the C-Square public spaces. Compass will also be opening a new social enterprise retail store, Wabi Sabi, in the C-Square precinct in June.

Through Compass’ innovative social enterprise model, this store will not only offer retail traineeships and vocational training opportunities to young people with disabilities but will also sell a range of products made by those who attend Compass across their six local Campuses.

You will find Compass’s new premises at C-Square, Ground Floor (Courtyard), 52-64 Currie Street, Nambour.

 

The Compass Institute (Compass) is a registered NDIS Provider and as a provider of community and centre-based activities we are eligible to apply Temporary Transformation Payment (TTP) rates.

In line with the rules in the NDIS price guide, the rates Compass charges for supports depends on the nature of the support, where the support is delivered, the time of day that the support is delivered, how complex the participant’s needs are, and the ratio of supports delivered (i.e. if the participant is supported one-to-one by a support worker, or in a group supported by the same worker). Compass charges participants at the TTP rates under the NDIS price guide.

Compass provides support under the following Registration Group Names:

• Development of Daily Living and Life Skills
• Participation in Community, Social and Civic Activities
• Group and Centre Based Activities

Support rates applied by Compass are based on the rates in the NDIS price guide; please refer to attached schedule of charges.

If you have questions or queries, please contact us via phone on 07 5445 9116 or email [email protected]

Compass Farm welcomed our valued Charity Partners, the Sunshine Coast Lightning during their recent mid-season break.

Players and staff got their hands dirty creating their very own Sunshine Coast Lightning garden and whipping up a storm in Compass Harvest Kitchen.

 

A new partnership with Compass and the Big Pineapple, announced today, will see people with disability supporting new commercial ventures at the Big Pineapple.

Compass is an award-winning, Sunshine Coast based service for people with disability, offering numerous enriching life skills and vocational opportunities. Through Compass, they build skills and confidence through various ventures such as working on the local 20-acre Compass Farm, along with other enterprises such as cafes, a woodwork shed, pottery, and commercial kitchen. The newly announced partnership with the Big Pineapple extends on Compass’ successful training model where people with disability learn and apply skills, readying them for vocational opportunities in the community.

Compass CEO, David Dangerfield, expressed his delight at partnering with the Big Pineapple. “Together with the Big Pineapple team, we will build a best practice model for inclusion of people with a disability in valued roles, that will rival anything seen in this country.”

“We strongly support the vision of the Big Pineapple to return agribusiness and food related tourism to this iconic location. With dozens of enterprises ready to call the Big Pineapple home over the coming years, we have eager people, supported by teachers and volunteers, ready to ‘pitch in’ and help the Big Pineapple become a great success.”

Jim Costello, Big Pineapple Renewal Project Director, agreed, “We are pleased to welcome Compass into the Big Pineapple family, and we see numerous opportunities for people with disability across our site. We are offering land and space for farming ventures, with the produce able to be sold in our refurbished market hall, just as one example. We also see Compass workers supporting other food and beverage operators who are coming to the Big Pineapple”.

“As part of the Big Pineapple refurbishment program commencing this year, we are returning the iconic pineapple farm across the slope near the train tracks. The Compass crew can make sure our pineapples are always well tended and ready to be included in our re-booted pineapple sundaes and parfaits, as we welcome more visitors to our site.”

Local Sunshine Coast Councillor, Cr Jenny McKay enthusiastically expressed her support. “It’s wonderful two great Sunshine Coast hinterland companies have teamed up, and I can see tremendous opportunities for Compass workers to contribute in many practical ways at the Big Pineapple”.

“From first-hand experience I know Compass is dedicated to helping people with disability and their families. Through the assistance of corporate partners like the Big Pineapple we can ensure we are one of the most caring and inclusive communities in Australia.”

Jordan Overs from Compass Connections Cafe represented Australia at the World Games in Dubai. Listen to Jordan’s interview with Mark and Caroline at 92.7 MIX FM share his journey of success!

 

{Click on image to enlarge Compass 2018 Christmas message}