A healthy Possum is a happy Possum...
Ably assisted by the Bendigo Community Health team, the JIMMY POSSUM workplace health program has gained a very positive reputation, and has been an influencing factor in the development of the Victorian Government’s recent WorkHealth pilot. Conducted in 2008, the WorkHealth pilot aimed to screen Victorian employees for preventable diseases. The Pilot was such a success that the program will be rolled out in Central Victoria over the next few months, and Melbourne in the middle of the year. Premier John Brumby, along with member for Bendigo East, Jacinta Allan, were at Possum HQ on Thursday March 5th to announce the commencement of the new WorkHealth program. JIMMY POSSUM is considered by the Victorian State Government to be a leader in proactively supporting the health and wellbeing of our staff, and after the launch, the Premier and team enjoyed a few hours touring our factory, chatting to the Possums and testing out our comfy furniture! If you would like more information on the WorkHealth program, and how you can get involved, CLICK HERE to jump on the Premier’s website and learn a bit more about getting healthy!!!
Jimmy supports the bushfire victims... There is nothing we can add to what has already been expressed by so many about the sadness and heartbreak experienced by those who were tragically affected by the Victorian bush fires last weekend. You may know that Bendigo did not escape, and the local community shared the sad loss of one life. The Bracewell Street fire destroyed 60 homes across the western suburbs of Bendigo, while 12 homes were lost in the massive Redesdale blaze south-east of the city. Families and lives have been changed forever. We are pleased to be able to report that although some Possum Central Possums’ homes were extremely close to the terrible fires, no Possum was injured, and no Possum property was damaged or destroyed. The Bendigo business community has thrown its support behind a major fundraising event planned to support those most affected by the weekend fires. JIMMY POSSUM needed no encouragement and have donated two Martti Occasional Chairs and a recycled timber mirror that will be included in the fundraising auction. The monster auction night, to be held at the Bendigo Schweppes Centre on Friday Feb 27, hopes to raise over $50,000 for victims in the Bendigo community. On top of this, JIMMY POSSUM will be having our very own masquerade party as a fundraiser, with all monies being donated to the Salvation Army to distribute locally. It is the absolute least we can do to help the many families that have been so deeply affected. What else is Jimmy doing? JIMMY POSSUM is the brainchild of husband and wife team Margot and Alan Spalding, who are owners and Directors of this respected company. JIMMY POSSUM is the brand which has long been synonymous with quality furniture and sofas whose engaging designs, distinct ‘look’ and imposing appearance make a statement not only about the company but also about the discerning customers who daily swell the ranks of the army of JIMMY POSSUM devotees! More than that, JIMMY POSSUM is a company with social conscience. Like every sensible organisation it is, of course, concerned about global warming, and has long had an eco-friendly, ‘green’ policy in place at its factory (‘Possum Central’) in Bendigo. What has been initiated is conscious, deliberate and sensible practice put into action every day. It is also just one aspect of JIMMY POSSUM’s bigger picture efforts for the universal good - for the wider community. Because JIMMY POSSUM has both a big picture focus, along with a very well tuned smaller picture focus, its philanthropic efforts similarly are both wide and more local, with a well proportioned balance. In the fairly recent past, for example, its wider community focus included sponsoring a building project in Samoa where JIMMY POSSUM staff worked (for almost three weeks) on a school, and made desks for the students there. Another example relates to its policy on imported items where it only considers using those companies/producers whose workers are paid a fair and equitable wage. In this instance also the production environment is scrutinised. It’s not always easy to achieve these very important standards and equally important twin criteria with overseas production companies, but only those companies which achieve both are considered as décor suppliers for the JIMMY POSSUM stores. Why? Because PRIDE is one of the JIMMY POSSUM values, and JIMMY POSSUM will only ever stock and sell those items in which it can be truly proud. And PRIDE is just one of the ten significant business and personal values which underpin the way the company operates and does business. JIMMY POSSUM is a regional company, and Alan and Margot are ‘Bendignonians’ through and through. They both admit to “eating, sleeping and breathing JIMMY POSSUM”. In like measure they have complete dedication to the region from which they draw their very talented local Production and Retail teams – the very special Production and Retail Possums – and to a city which now boasts the very first regional JIMMY POSSUM store (and which is ‘home’). When it comes to the local community JIMMY POSSUM also has a strong belief in supporting the community which has long supported it. And Margot and Alan, and their family of seven (now grown up) children (five of whom work in the business) are recognised as being significant and generous supporters of needy causes in Bendigo and in each store location.
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