Ignite Life Church Pastor Keith Walters, Eva May founder Glenys Davis, and new managers Rachael Leimgruber and Nicole Allen are coming together to carry the shop’s vision into the future.
In a small country town, it is easy to overlook an opportunity shop as just shelves of second-hand goods waiting for a new home.
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But for the past nine years, Eva May Foundation in Mulwala has shown that a small, local, volunteer-run shop can achieve remarkable results.
Its work has been driven by donations from the local community, volunteer labour, and the steady commitment of a generous woman on a mission.
Last month, Glenys Davis handed the op-shop over to her church, Ignite Life to continue her work.
Who was Eva May?
Eva May was a Mulwala local, known as Nan Nicholson, and Glenys Davis’ grandmother.
Glenys named the foundation after her grandmother, Eva May, a Mulwala local known as Nan Nicholson.
Nan worked hard during World War II to support the Australian Comforts Fund as one of thousands of women who knitted, sewed and raised money to provide comforts to Australian troops.
She organised dances and euchre nights to help raise funds and her generosity during and after the war left a lasting impression on Glenys, who grew up with simple values, lived out every day.
There was always enough in the pot to share, always a bed for a stranger, and the cow and garden were there for anyone who needed a billy of milk or a few vegetables.
The mission
Glenys was especially close to her Nan she worked hard to reflect her generosity and humility through the work of the Eva May Foundation, which has contributed many thousands of dollars to local projects over the years.
About four years ago, she approached her pastor, Keith Walters at Ignite Life Church, about contributing to their work in Uganda.
Ignite Life Yarrawonga had funded four small schools, which they had supported for 18 years.
“Glenys came up with idea for Eva May to help fund one of the existing schools,” Pastor Keith said.
“The schools were very limited but with Eva May’s assistance we’ve been able to do capital works and add new buildings.”
The school was renamed the Eva May Nursery and Primary School and is now recognised by the Ugandan Government’s Education Department.
It has seven brick and three wooden classrooms, with 12 teachers who serve about 360 enrolled students.
The school is a project Glenys is especially proud of, as almost all the children being educated would not normally have had access to a formal education in such a remote area.
Today the four schools provide education for 1,600 children.
Glenys Davis at the Eva May School in Uganda.
The village near the Eva May School also lacked medical services, so the Foundation and Ignite Life refurbished and equipped and old house to become the Eva May Medical Centre.
The clinic opened in February this year and provides much-needed healthcare to the villagers.
Glenys Davis (middle) approached her pastor, Keith Walters at Ignite Life Church, about contributing to their work in Uganda. It wasn’t long before a school was named after the Eva May Foundation.
During construction of the Eva May School, the need for clean drinking water became apparent and it was arranged for a water well to be installed in the centre of the community.
Around the same time, a generous donation from the family of Glenys’ close friend, Mary Morrow, was provided to support the work in Uganda.
The Foundation used the donation to fully fund the well project, which has given about 150 people access to clean water meaning they no longer had to walk long distances to collect it.
The well had an immediate, positive, and lasting impact on daily village life and was a great example of outside support working hand in hand with the Foundation’s efforts, made possible by the donation from Mary’s family, in her memory.
The Foundation has also spent nine years supporting a small educational project on an island in the Yangon River in Myanmar (formerly Burma).
The project has provided consistent schooling for up to 50 children, improved access to learning materials, and created a safer, more hopeful learning environment despite the country's difficult conditions.
Glenys sorting clothes in the opportunity shop with long-time volunteer, Jan.
The future
It is with some reluctance that Glenys has decided that her time fundraising through her little op shop has come to a close.
She is secure in the knowledge that her church, with its own strong charitable links, will continue the business as the Ignite Life Community Shop.
Locally, Ignite Life is involved with FoodShare and works with Yarrawonga Health in the Pay It Forward Christmas Appeal, supporting vulnerable community members with hampers and gifts.
As funding for the Eva May School and its community continues, Glenys knows the shop will remain in the hands of people with a similar vision for helping others.
Pastor Keith said the vision for the future was the continue the Eva May Foundation’s work in the same shape and form, and the bless the local community and the Ugandan community through that work.
“We also have plans to use the shop as a means to run meetings for things like men’s groups and parent’s groups,” he said.
“It will help us to build a bridge with people and identify people with needs in our community.
“It’s a challenge, but it’s exciting.”
Glenys presents Yarrawonga Lions Club with $2,000 towards their fundraising for childhood cancer research.
Farewell Glenys
For many, the scale of what has been achieved - a new school in Uganda, a medical clinic, and an ongoing education project in Myanmar - comes as a surprise.
Photos, videos and stories of lives changed here and overseas, shared during recent Foundation presentations, have moved audiences.
Yet perhaps the most powerful part of the story is how it all grew from something simple.
It started with a local op shop, depended on community donations, and succeeded thanks to a local Mulwala woman who spent years quietly getting on with the job of helping others.
Glenys was always the first in and last to leave the shop and happily spent long days outside in all kinds of weather sorting donated goods for sale.
Under her leadership, the Eva May Foundation Opportunity Shop became much more than just a shop.
It reflected the values she inherited from her grandmother; generosity, humility and practical care for others.
Glenys credits the Foundation’s success to two groups of people: the generous Mulwala and Yarrawonga community, who consistently donated quality goods for sale, and the loyal volunteers whose hard work helped turn her vision into reality.
The all-abilities playground carousel at Purtle Park Adventure Playground in Mulwala is just one of many local projects Eva May has helped to fund.
Eva May Foundation’s local support
Eva May Foundation contributed $10,000 to complete the all-abilities playground carousel at Purtle Park Adventure Playground in Mulwala, making inclusive play possible for all children.
It funded the $6,000 True Doors project at Allawah Special Care Hostel in Yarrawonga, where personalised door decals help residents, especially those with dementia, recognise their rooms and feel more at home.
The Foundation also supports the Yarrawonga Lions Club’s fundraising for childhood cancer research.
Recently $6,500 was donated to help Ambulance Victoria buy specialised training equipment for the Yarrawonga branch after reading of their need in the Yarrawonga Chronicle, demonstrating how community awareness can encourage action.
On Friday, June 5 a dinner will be held to say thank you to all the volunteers who have worked at the op shop.
New managers, Nicole Allen and Rachael Leimgruber are looking for more volunteers to help continue the valuable work of the beloved community op shop.
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