Rainbow is a small town of 700 located in the Mallee region of rural Victoria. It is surrounded by many more small towns including Warracknabeal. Rainbow is home to our Exhibition in October and we had the pleasure of driving there to meet with Belinda Eckermann and her community.
Where this town is small it has the heart and soul of something big. We were invited into the fabric of this community to share Willo and our endeavours and realised what a privilege it was to be embraced the way we were. There was acknowledgement and interest from all sectors and we soon found ourselves talking to an entire school, staff meetings, artists, locals meeting in cafes, not for profits, community groups and disability support services.
Will was surrounded by acceptance and inclusion.
Three days passed and Belinda had a list of 100 interested artists, a connection and partnership with Woodbine Incorporated in Warracknabeal to start refurbishing the bats and, a school that was taking on Willo as a project. Numerous stories in local media, discussions about how to build more inclusion and understanding and a commitment to continue to make a difference.
This is the reason we are doing what we do. To create more acceptance and understanding and equipping a community with the knowledge, love and ability to create more choice for people living with disabilities and challenges. Every community has the ability to do more and seek out better opportunities for those who need it most.