Toy Library Dream a Step Closer to Reality

Yeppoon, and our entire coastal region, is experiencing an exciting era of growth Many young families are making their way here, seeking an affordable and enjoyable lifestyle Despite having an array of leisure, sporting and cultural outlets for people to enjoy, this region does not have a dedicated Toy Library Toy Libraries can be found all around Australia, in many different forms Our dream is to have a dedicated indoor building space, that contains a large inventory of toys, educational games, therapy aids, costumes, and more Imagine a child walking into a bright colourful room where there are so many amazing toys, browsing the aisles with a loving carer, filling their special Toy Library bag with a few wonderful play things, and then returning a week or two later to do it all again Mums, dads and grandparents getting to know each other and share parenting tips, or just a knowing look when their kidheads for the toy drums again (Remember – you don’t have to keep them!)

A Toy Library can become a place for new parents to find a moment of sanity (okay, not with the drums), a central place for families to network or learn about other community services, and even a space for children’s edutainment or workshops Dedicated volunteers and staff can help encourage parents and carers to initiate regular targeted play to help develop fine and gross motor skills, problem solving, creative and social skills, laying important foundations in those early learning years

Our Toy Library will champion the idea of purchasing ethical toys, as well as reusing preloved toys, helping to reduce plastic toy waste in our environment And finally, many family budgets are being stripped back The financial burden of providing our children with toys, games, educational and therapy aids can be alleviated by joining a Toy Library,

On Friday the 7 th July 2023, a small group of women gathered at the Spinnaker restaurant, around dinnertime To fellow patrons, they would have assumed it was a social get-together among friends, perhapsfor a birthday Looking more closely though, they would have noticed the papers, laptops and pens spread along the table Water yes, food no This was business This was a historical occasion These 8 women were founding the Capricorn Coast Toy Library, a future resource that will have so many benefits and positive impacts across this region, especially for families

Anyone who has set up an Incorporated not-for-profit organisation will know that it is a tedious process, but it is essential to create solid building blocks for any group that want to help their community Not only have we elected a founding executive committee, and made the necessary legal notes for applyingfor Incorporated status with the State Government, but we have adopted a set of constitutional rules ( a 23 page booklet no less) that will help guide this organisation well into the future, hopefully decades.

This journey started two years ago when Jillian, hanging out with bubba #4, was reminiscing about the amazing Toy Library her three older children had access to when the family lived in the N T On a whim, she started a Facebook group to gauge interest in the local area We now have over 230 followers (and we don’t even offer a service yet) 98% are women, and 70% of these are between 25-44 years old, indicating the strong need for a service like this for parents with young children The next most common group are women who are 45 – 65 years old, so likely parents with primary aged children and also grandparents, as well as professionals who work in the education or allied health industry. Less than 2% are between 18-24 years old, however young mothers would be an important group to target in the future with alternative social media or in collaboration with other community services

Jillian Neyland (our newly minted President) has a background in science and environmental education and has always been involved with community organisations and events. At the beginning of 2023, she received a scholarship to participate in a 13 week social enterprise upskilling program called iActivate, run through CQU and Impact Boom. This opportunity really kick-started the next step for developing the Toy Library. Suzy Kriedemann (Founding Treasurer) and Mary Wilson (Founding Secretary) have come on board and bring with them years of experience in business, finance, governance, and early childhood and special needs education

We are also so excited at the depth of passion and experience our remaining founding members bring to our fledgling organisation Our dream team are education and allied health professionals, and several have had experiences through other regional Toy Libraries Many other local organisations have indicated their willingness to support our journey through in kind services and supportive gestures, and we certainly hope many more local businesses and organisations can jump in to help too These include Toy Libraries Australia, Yeppoon & District Kindergarten, Keppel Coast Girl Guides, Upcycle, Keppel Kids Playgroup, The Yeppoon Show Society, Yeppoon Choral Society, Livingstone Shire Council (Community Engagement), Michelle Landry, and The Hub Capricorn Coast Online Magazine We would love a corporate sponsor

Our aim is that we can sell 2024 Capricorn Coast Toy Library memberships in the lead up to this Christmas, and that our borrowing service will be operational early next year. There are three key things that the Capricorn Coast community can help us with. We need a space, preferably to operate part time out of, but just a storage space would help to start with. A Toy Library can encourage a certain demographic traffic so perhaps you can see your business benefitting from sharing a space with a Toy Library? We need donations (good quality second hand toys, plus money to buy toys and other storage and operating equipment, possibly a lease). And finally, we need locals to get behind us and buy memberships when these go on sale. We know these a big ticket items, but we are confident that the Capricorn Coast Toy Library will be an amazing asset to Yeppoon and the coast.

You can find us of Facebook. Any queries can be directed to Jillian at ccctoylibrary@gmail.com