STAR Community Services

23/12/2025

Merry Christmas 🎄
😀Thank you for sharing your Christmas spirit with our seniors through Secret Santa for Seniors 2025.
This year’s response has been truly overwhelming! It is a reflection of the generosity, kindness and care you have for seniors in our community.
Because of your support, 1,346 Christmas hampers have been delivered to seniors across the Darling Downs, Gold Coast, Redlands (Southern Bay Islands and North Stradbroke Island), South Brisbane, Manly/Wynnum, Ipswich and Logan.
Plus, over 5,000 gift, toiletries and food items were shared with community support groups to gain the greatest reach to seniors in our community.
The impact of your thoughtfulness is already being felt. We have received emotional calls and messages from seniors who were deeply touched by receiving their hamper, including:
• Mary: “I was sat at home thinking no one cared about me. The Christmas hamper made me so happy.”
• Dawn, through tears of joy: “Thank you.”
• Andy: “I am on my own. You don’t know how much you make Christmas special with this hamper.”
• Barbara: “You have made my day. The hamper has everything I like in it. I think it will be opened before Christmas.”
Your kindness is doing so much more than delivering a hamper, it is reminding seniors that they are seen, valued and cared for, especially at a time of year that can be very lonely.
Thank you for helping to bring joy and connection this Christmas.
You gave this joy to these very happy recipients and many many more….

23/12/2025

👉A growing number of amazing schools took part in this year’s Secret Santa for Seniors. This program enables students to think of seniors in the community and how they can bring joy to that senior. Students thought about what an older person may like, they brought and created gifts and some wrote cards or letters to bring happiness.

Thank you to these schools as they demonstrate a wonderful giving and caring community.

Raceview O.S.H.C., Bremer State High School, Kimberley Park State School, Burrowes State School, Bay View State School, Wellington Point State School, Vienna Woods State School, Hilliard State School, St Luke's Catholic Parish School, Darling Point Special School, Benowa State Primary School, Coomera State School, Upper Coomera State College, Coombabah State High School and AB Patterson College. Our future is in caring hands!

22/12/2025

STAR’s Annual Secret Santa for Seniors appeal unites the community to spread joy and bring smiles to the faces of those who need it most. This year, in partnership with STAR, Qld Police’s Disability and Elder Abuse Team collected over 1000 gifts from its members.
Gifts for socially isolated seniors who may otherwise spend Christmas alone.
Addressing social isolation is a crucial step in preventing and disrupting elder abuse, initiatives like this play a significant role in fostering connection, compassion, and care for our senior community members during the festive season."
STAR thanks everyone on Qld Police's Disability and Elder Abuse Team and wish you a Merry Christmas and safe New Year.

21/12/2025

Thank you to Alex Gow Funerals for the support they give STAR Community Services and the community. ⭐️

Healing Through Remembrance: Honouring Loved Ones During the Christmas Season

Christmas is often called the most wonderful time of the year, yet for those who have experienced loss, the festive season can bring a complex mix of emotions. The glittering lights and joyful carols can amplify the silence left by a loved one, making their absence feel more profound. The pressure to be “merry” can feel heavy when you are holding grief.

Read this wonderful story at: https://www.alexgowfunerals.com.au/healing-through-remembrance-honouring-loved-ones-during-the-christmas-season/

20/12/2025

Amazing donations came in from all over the Logan community!
Gift from the Logan community were donated at Kimberley Park State School, Burrowes State School, Rotary Club of Beenleigh, Bendigo Bank Springwood, Beenleigh, Brown Plains and Helensvale, Fidelity Hearing Centre Sprigwood, Jim Chalmers MP Office, King&Company Property Group, Logan Physio, Moore Australia, Planet Fitness, Power 2 Brisbane Accounting, SKC Lawyers, Snap Fitness UK, The Quirky Quilting Co., Shine Lawyers and supported by MyCity Logan and Logan City Council.
These gifts were made into hampers with the help of many wonderful volunteers, including the volunteer team from Commonwealth Bank at Springwood. The team helped with sorting, wrapping and creating hampers in our new STAR facility in Underwood Park. It was amazing to see the venue come alive with the joy that comes with Secret Santa for Seniors.
If you would like to know more about Secret Santa for Seniors visit https://www.starcommunityservices.org.au/get-involved/annual-secret-santa-appeal

20/12/2025

Thank you to Mayor Jos Mitchell and the wonderful teams at Redland City Council Libraries in Victoria Point, Capalaba and Cleveland 🎄
So many generous community members dropped off donated gifts and food items to the Libraries in support of Secret Santa for Seniors.
Libraries truly bring people together, and thanks to your support, joy will be shared with many seniors this Christmas.
We sincerely appreciate your community spirit🎄💝

18/12/2025

👉Tea with Friends, Gatton
What a lovely festive afternoon! We enjoyed afternoon tea, lots of laughs, and a fun round of trivia with door prizes.
A big thank you to Hearing Australia for being our guest speaker and providing hearing screenings, plus support to book further audiology appointments.
Shout-out to the Royal Hotel Gatton for donating a $25 voucher as a prize - thank you!
In 2026, we will be offering a wide range of programs for seniors across the Lockyer Valley and Southern Downs. Message us for more info!

14/12/2025

Thanks to the outstanding support of the Rotary Club of Beenleigh, STAR Community Services’ Elves delivered over 100 Secret Santa hampers to Meals on Wheels Beenleigh 🎄🎁

These hampers will be shared with seniors in time to spread joy this Christmas. Thank you, Rotary, for your incredible community spirit and generosity, it truly makes a difference.

If you would like to know more about Secret Santa for Seniors please visit https://www.starcommunityservices.org.au/get-involved/annual-secret-santa-appeal
Logan City Council, Cr Karen Murphy - Division 12 Logan

14/12/2025

Corporate volunteering can be competitive — in the best possible way! 🎁
It was wonderful to welcome teams from Shell Energy Australia and Bunnings Warehouse Australia who rolled up their sleeves to wrap gifts and create hampers for STAR Community Services’ Secret Santa for Seniors.
Both teams were determined to create the most hampers, while keeping the high quality and care, knowing just how much these gifts mean to seniors in our community. One team completed 130 hampers, the other 131… I won’t say who won …. they know who they are 😊
In the end, the real prize is the smiles on the faces of the seniors receiving these hampers.
Thank you to both teams for your generosity, teamwork and incredible Christmas spirit. 🎄✨
If you would like to know more about Secret Santa for Seniors visit https://www.starcommunityservices.org.au/get-involved/annual-secret-santa-appeal

08/12/2025

🎄 More Christmas Cheer! ✨
STAR's social group enjoyed a wonderful, festive outing to the Museum of Brisbane and the Brisbane Arcade. Just look at those smiles! 😊🎅🎁

08/12/2025

👉For Granite Belt seniors, travelling to Brisbane just got easier! 🤩STAR Community Services is partnering with Crisps Coaches to provide easy, reliable, and affordable trips to STAR clients from Stanthorpe to Brisbane!
👉STAR clients pay a subsidised rate of 50% of the full fare cost!
If you have appointments or errands in Brisbane, call STAR’s Transport Project Officer in Stanthorpe, Michael Dubois on 0478 001 544.
STANTHORPE 50+ SENIORS GROUP AND COUNTRY WOMEN’S CRAFT & FRIENDSHIP GROUP Stanthorpe QLD 4380 Stanthorpe On Facebook Southern Downs and Granite Belt Stanthorpe Uncut

07/12/2025

👉Visit the team at McGrath Bayside Cleveland and join in the fun of becoming a Secret Santa for Seniors?
If you are in Redlands City, drop your donated gift into one of these amazing businesses or Libraries. STAR volunteer elves will pick them up, wrap them, create hampers and give them to seniors who are on their own this Christmas. You can feel the JOY! 🥳
For details of more drop-off points visit https://www.starcommunityservices.org.au/.../annual...
Aussie, Shop 18, Cleveland Central, 91 Middle Street, Cleveland
City Cave, Shop 8/42 Shore St, Cleveland
City Cave, Rededge Shopping Centre, 30/32 Cypress St., Redland Bay
Redland City Council Capalaba Library, 14 Noeleen St, Capalaba
Cleveland Library, Middle Sts, Cleveland
Fidelity Hearing Centre, 9b/120 Birkdale Rd, Birkdale
GWH Dental, 36 Middle Street, Cleveland
Grill’d Victoria Point, Lake Side Shopping Centre
IGA on Bloomfield, 207 Bloomfield St, Cleveland
McGrath Bayside, Shop 2, 152 Shore St West, Cleveland
Pat Barrett Realty, 380 Main Rd, Wellington Point
Redlands Sporting Club, 20 Anson Road, Wellington Point
Shoreline - Redland Bay Community Shoreline Sales & Centre,
9 Jingeri Street, Redland Bay
STAR Community Services, Level 1, 152 Shore St West, Cleveland
The Park Social, Unit 1A/5-11 Daintree Drive, Redland Bay
Victoria Point Library, 7-15 Bunker Rd, Victoria Point