Another brilliant night in Melbourne, the last of 2017 and marking TFN Australia's 50th event. Thanks to Clayton Utz for generously hosting us all once again, and for their funding support from the CU Foundation. Also thanks to event partner JBWere. Congratulations to everyone, especially St Kilda Gatehouse, Eat Up, and Satellite Foundation, who collectively received over $88,000 in pledges.
If you attended this event and made a pledge, please make your payment here.
St Kilda Gatehouse works alongside those involved in street based sex work as a result of family violence, addiction, homelessness, poverty, mental health and social isolation. They are seeking funding to put towards building a boutique opportunity shop called Greeves St. Recycled, with an aim to build ongoing financial sustainability for the Gatehouse, while creating a client and community social inclusion hub. Women, as they attempt to leave street sex work and all the associated hardships such as addiction, homelessness, domestic violence, mental illness and poverty, will be able to undergo a formal volunteer and retail-training program through the Greeves St. Boutique, as well as sell their own craft product. stkildagatehouse.org.au
Presenter: Andie Patchett, Community Development and Social Enterprise Worker
Street sex workers are on those corners primarily because of things that happened to them, rather than choices they made. Andie is a social entrepreneur and support worker with marginalised women. She is passionate about helping to provide a safe space, a community, and practical support for sex workers to build a better life.
Eat Up provides ready-made, wholesome lunches direct to disadvantaged children at no cost. Sandwiches are made by volunteers and are then delivered, along with donated snack items to schools around Victoria where there are children who often go without. Funding will help to create an Eat Up regional model, that will involve the establishment of partnerships between local volunteer groups (e.g. corporate, donor school) to make sandwiches and a local leader/ community group (e.g. Rotary) for delivery of sandwiches to local schools in need. The development of this regional model will enable Eat Up to support a significantly larger number of children in a relatively short amount of time with broader implications as a 'state model' enabling national scale. eatup.org.au
Presenter: Lyndon Galea, Founder, Eat Up
After reading an article in his local newspaper about school kids regularly going without lunch in his hometown of Shepparton, Lyndon felt compelled to help. He started with the simple idea, that if these kids didn’t have a lunch, he would make them one himself. He started at the kitchen table with the help of his Mum and his mates. Soon after, Lyndon would read a Foodbank Australia statistic that 1 in 8 Australian children arrive at school hungry everyday. So he started to think bigger…
Satellite Foundation exists to support children, young people, and their families where a parent has a mental illness through specialised programs, support and opportunities for them to forge their place in the world. They are seeking funding support to launch the young leader and mentoring program called SELFies: Satellite Engaged Leaders of the Future, teaching young people with lived experience who are ready to lead and also mentor younger children, to contribute to changing the trajectory for children in similar situations. satellitefoundation.org.au
Presenter: Rose Cuff, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Satellite Foundation
Rose Cuff is an Occupational Therapist who has worked in the areas of adult, child and adolescent mental health for more than 30 years. She is dedicated to supporting children and families living in Victoria where a parent has a mental illness. Rose is particularly passionate about creating opportunities for young people to use their lived experiences to teach, engage with, and inspire us.