Jen’s jammies hit the headlines

Permanently PJ-clad Jen Cramond, Community Fundraising Manager in our National Office in Sydney, has attracted plenty of attention this month – and a story on the front page of today’s mX newspaper will ensure more people see her in her bright jammies.

As Jen explained to mX journalist Cathy Morris, she’s been wearing pyjamas on her daily commute from Bondi to the city since the start of the month to help raise money for homelessness. And that includes when she pops out for a coffee or goes out for dinner and drinks at night.

"Generally, people give me an up and down look, and don't say anything," Jen told mX. 'But I have had a couple of people ask me what I'm doing.

"I felt a bit nervous on the first clay, after that I kind of go with the flow. It feels like my normal work attire, but I am looking forward to getting back into my normal work clothes."

Jen said she was motivated by the fact the money was going to a good cause.

"I think it's a small discomfort to raise money for such a good cause, there's lots of people out there who don't get a choice about where they sleep each night."

About 100,000 people were homeless across the country every day, with half of those aged under 25.

For every $100 Jen raises she's wearing PJs for another day this month. She has currently raised $1,400 and her last day is set to be Thursday.

"But if I receive more donations I'll keep going," Jen said, adding that she’s been wearing a variety of different types of PJs as part of her fundraising effort, but "the ones that are matching get the best reaction from people".

Great work, Jen! To show your support for Jen’s efforts and help homeless Australians visit everydayhero.com.au/jen_cramond_pj

You can also follow Jen on Twitter - @everynothingyen

City2Surf novice speeding ahead

On Sunday, Sook Smith will run her first City2Surf to raise funds for Mission Australia. Currently one of the event’s Top 10 fundraisers, she’s already off to a great start:

"This is my first year doing The Sun Herald City2Surf. I’d thought about it over the last few years but wasn’t ready to commit. This year a few girlfriends are doing it so it was enough encouragement to get me to sign up.

Having my maiden run at 46 meant that I really needed to stick to my training. Making use of the intermediate training suggestions on the City2Surf website made this easier and I made the commitment to stick to my training no matter what. Although this sometimes had me running in my raincoat!

When deciding to fundraise it was important to me to pick a charity in Australia that supports Australians, especially youth, unemployed and homeless. Quite often we hear about charities in developing countries but sometimes we miss what’s in our own backyard. This is the reason I chose to support Mission Australia

Once I began fundraising I made the approach to the Jaques Stanmore Foundation, the foundation within our business - The Jaques Stanmore Financial Group (http://www.jaquesstanmore.com.au). I know them to be very supportive, but had no idea how supportive until they informed me that for every dollar I raise up to $3,000 they will match those funds. So of course my step was to figure out how to raise $3,000 to get the most from my fundraising!

I started off by emailing my friends, family and clients and was completely overwhelmed by all the support I received from them and from my business partners. The company was also kind enough to support me in having a fundraising morning tea where I put baking skills to work in the cake raffle, where the prize was a cake for any occasion baked by me.

I think fundraising is all about working to your own skill sets and being as creative as you can. My advice to others thinking about fundraising is Go for It. It encourages you to race better and with the help of email and the internet, it’s easy.

The run on 14 August is all about enjoying myself and the spirit and atmosphere of the event. Hopefully I get a good race time and the fundraising is an added bonus!"

Share the fun
Supporters can meet up with their sponsored runners after the race at a Mission Australia barbecue on Sunday. We’re setting up just over the finish line at Ramsgate Avenue, near the North Bondi RSL - so come along and grab a snag and a drink. Look out for the Missionbeat van and the Mission Australia banner!

To get behind our runners, including Team MA from our homeless services, visit www.fundraise.city2surf...

Superheroes to tackle the City2Surf

On Sunday, Carlos Romero and his family will take on The Sun-Herald City2Surf to raise funds for Mission Australia. Here he shares why this event – and the cause – means so much to him.

"As the Telstra Operations Manager of the Social Services and Not for Profit Sector I have built a great relationship with Mission Australia over the past six years - a place where motivation and inspiration are easy to find.

Missionbeat is one of my favourite Mission Australia services. It’s headed up by one of Sydney’s most influential and inspirational people when it comes to social welfare - Daniel Strickland. I follow Daniel on Twitter and Facebook and he was my first motivator to get started with City2Surf. I have always wanted to compete against Daniel - and win!.

This is my first time doing City2Surf and I will be running alongside my family. It’s also the first time they have run beside me in such a large-scale event, or anything that involves running or walking more than 80 metres. I think my wife and kids are excited about the prospect of beating me at something sports related (all the sporting trophies at home currently have my name on them).

Training with kids
Kids, as we know, are generally never still; even when mine are enjoying an ice-cream at home they are constantly on the move. So when it came to training, their regimes were much cheaper than mine.

Having exciting race-day attire is important in my family and money saved on training has since been spent on outfits for the day. Celio, 2, will be sporting a Superman costume but his older brother Marcius, 4 (both pictured) thought Spiderman was by far the superior option. I have a strong feeling they will cross, or fly, over the line well before their father.

My training has been going well, since moving to our new house in Parramatta. While we had wanted to build a huge state of the art training facility much like the ones used by Olympians and the very fit NRL stars at Moore Park, we could only afford a cheap exercise bike.

It’s come to my attention that those very fit NRL Sydney Roosters have been training Daniel and the Missionbeat team, but I don’t feel they will be a match for my cheap exercise bike. I also have an added advantage over Daniel in this race. However, I cannot disclose all my secrets in this article, you will have to stay tuned to find out more! I will say this though; it is something I intend to wear to rival Daniel’s rainbow shoes.

Putting the fun into fundraising
I feel City2Surf and fundraising are a perfect match, it brings the ‘fun’ and ‘raising awareness’ onto the world stage, and brings a few laughs with it too. On a serious note though, it’s a joy to be able to help others in need, especially when God blesses a positively charged middle-class male with a good family, good health, a little wealth and plenty of good times.

With this attitude, one lives life without counting dollars and cents, but counting sense in community partnership, in social justice and in personal success towards bridging the wide gap between being very poor and very rich, which means a lot more to me.

The prize at the end of the day for me is raising money for people less privileged than me, knowing that they are being looked after by Mission Australia. Regardless of whether you are first or last, the best part of reaching your destination is the long and winding but memorable road that leads you there."

Support our superheroes
If you’d like to get behind any of the teams running in support of Mission Australia – including those MA Team runners from our Sydney homeless services who are being coached by the Sydney Roosters - visit this page. You’ll also find links to other fundraising events, such as our 2011 Winter Sleepout.

Supporters run up a great fundraising tally

Thanks to everyone who went the distance at Run Melbourne earlier this month to raise funds for Mission Australia services in Victoria.

The 16-person strong Run DMC from Digital Pictures, who raised almost $1,800, made up a large part of the 22 supporters who took to the streets to help raise money for services such as Charcoal Lane in Fitzroy and the Urban Renewal program. Together they raised a very much appreciated $2,698.

Among the runners was Emily Day (pictured on her way home after the run) who was decked out in a blue cap, red tights and neon-pink shorts and top. Despite a few wardrobe malfunctions, she had a great day – and exceeded both her personal best and fundraising target by pulling in $365.

“Yes, everyone at work was very generous!” she wrote this week. “The day was awesome, I wore a super-hero costume with a cape and despite the cape strangling me at various times during the course, I still managed a PB of 26 minutes 15 seconds for the 5km.

“I ran with my dad the whole way until the end when I pipped him at the post, which was good because he kept winning on our training runs!”

The marathon and fun-run season is still far from over, so you can still sponsor a runner who is trying to raise money for Mission Australia. We have 69 registrations for Sydney’s City2Surf on Sunday 14 August but still need plenty of support to reach our target.

If you’d like to get behind any of the teams running in support of Mission Australia – including those MA Team runners from our Sydney homeless services who are being coached by the Sydney Roosters - visit this page. You’ll also find links to other fundraising events, such as our 2011 Winter Sleepout.

Good luck to our Run Melbourne supporters

Mission Australia wishes all of our supporters taking part in Run Melbourne this weekend the best of luck.

Runners for Team Mission Australia in Melbourne and Digital Pictures’ Run DMC team will tread the city’s streets on Sunday to raise money for Mission Australia services in Victoria, including our Charcoal Lane social enterprise restaurant in Fitzroy and the Urban Renewal program.

They are part of a community of active supporters taking part in winter and spring fun runs and marathons in Perth, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide to help fund our life-changing services.

Among the runners are several clients from our Sydney homeless services who are taking part in this year’s City2Surf on Sunday 14 August.

This morning, for the fifth week in a row, Sydney Roosters players led Mission Australia City2 Surf team members through a training session at the club’s HQ in Moore Park. Big thanks to Roosters Jake Friend (pictured with the MA Team’s Wayne), Lama Tasi, Ethan Lowe and Cheyse Blair for taking the time out to offer advice, fitness tips and motivation to our City2Surf Team. Also a huge thank you to the generous people from Fit for Good for kitting out the MA Team members with new shorts and drink bottles.

If you’d like to support the MA Team as they take on the City2Surf challenge next month, go to their City2Surf fundraising page.

If you’d like to get behind any of the teams running in support of Mission Australia, visit this page. You’ll also find links to other fundraising events, such as our 2011 Winter Sleepout.+

Perfect time to support Australians in need

With the financial year ending tomorrow, it’s the perfect time to make a difference in your community and to your tax return through donating.

By giving to our 2011 Winter Appeal you’ll not only support families and individuals who have fallen on hard times, but also maximise your tax return.

In Monday’s Australian Financial Review, Phil Hayes-St Clair, Executive Chairman of HSC and Co, put forward Mission Australia as one of seven charities worthy of an end-of-financial-year donation – namely due to our transparency and effectiveness.

Even a small tax-deductible gift – anything over $2 - can make a huge difference to Australians whose lives have spiralled out of control because of a series of unfortunate incidents and plain bad luck like a job loss, poor health, the death of a loved one or lack of a support network. Sadly, it’s an all too familiar story.

For example when Gracie’s dad, Paul, was made redundant the family fell behind in their rent and the settled life they knew spiralled out of control within weeks.

Gracie and her brother soon found themselves sleeping in the back seat of the family car, with just a plastic bag of clothes and toys to call her own.

We urgently need your help to provide families like Gracie’s with a roof over their heads and the support they need to make a new start.

Donate before 30 June - and your kind gift can also be claimed as a tax deduction this year.

*Names and images have been changed to protect the identities of our clients.

Kristin on her mark to make a difference

everydayhero.com.au/kristin_flanagan_GC

Mission Australia supporter Kristin Flanagan is gearing up to compete in the Gold Coast Marathon this weekend. Here she explains why the event is much more than just a test of endurance for her:

Just over 12 months ago I entered the Gold Coast Marathon event to run the 10km race. It was to be a very large milestone for me: marking the furthest I had ever run and the only time I had entered a running race that wasn’t a prerequisite at school. My family, friends and colleagues helped raise more than $500 for Mission Australia.

Over the past couple of months I have started running again and my sights are now set on completing a half marathon in the first week in July. Call me crazy, deluded, insane or just plain ill-advised: you’d probably be close to the truth. However, there is another reason apart from the obvious one of getting fit.

I worked at Mission Australia for two-and-a-half years, and although I no longer work there, I remain passionately committed to their extremely important and tireless work supporting Australians in need of assistance through their innovative programs and supportive framework. I figure if I can raise more than $500 for just doing a 10km race, chances are we may be able to raise more if I run even further. I have been blown away by contributions made by my friends, family and previous colleagues to my fundraising - together, we have raised just over $1,000.

For the record, I am not a runner. I don’t get a buzz from running and I don’t look forward to it like the passionate runners among us do. I get nervous before each run as I am worried I won’t make it and each step during a run is a hard. For me, this will be a labour of pain and test of my personal will in an attempt acknowledge and raise awareness for people who are less fortunate than myself.

I acknowledge their debilitating daily struggles, most of which I cannot even imagine, and I hope the contribution we can make through this fundraising attempt will be able to assist someone transform their life from one filled with despair to one of overflowing with hope.

Half marathon here we come...

If you would like to donate to support, please visit my page at everydayhero.com.au/kristin_flanagan_GC

How you can run for a reason
If you’re preparing up for a winter marathon or fun run, why not join Kirsten in helping Australians in need?

To support to Mission Australia while getting fit, simply follow one of the links below to your chosen event, register online and select Mission Australia as your charity of choice. We can help you set up your own unique fundraising page to share with your friends and family so that you can start fundraising to transform lives.

Events:

• Gold Coast Marathon, 2-3 July, goldcoastmarathon.com.au
• Run Melbourne, 17 July, runmelbourne.com.au
• City2Surf (Sydney), 14 August, city2surf.com.au
• City to Surf (Perth), 28 August, citytosurf.activ.asn.au
• Bridge to Brisbane, 1 September, bridgetobrisbane.com.au
• City-Bay (Adelaide), 18 September, city-bay.org.au
• Sydney Running Festival, 18 September, sydneyrunningfestival.com.au

Make a difference to your community… and tax return

With the end of the financial year days away, many Australians are starting to think about the best way to maximise their yearly tax return.

By far one of the best ways to receive a tax deduction is by opening your heart and wallets to others and making a charitable donation.

Any donation you make over $2 to a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) such as Mission Australia is tax-deductible – and even a small gift can make a huge difference to someone like Sheree*.

Sheree had been beaten continuously by her husband for the past five years. One night he hit her so hard that she blacked out for a few minutes. But it wasn’t until her children were hospitalised due to his beatings that Sheree realised she had to get away from her husband for good for the sake of her young family.

While he slept one night, Sheree quietly put the children in the back of the car and fled to the care of Mission Australia.

Unfortunately, Sheree’s situation is all too common – she and her girls make up just one of many families we work with every day at Mission Australia. Your generous donation today will help hundreds of Australian women and children in similar desperate situations to find pathways away from poverty, violence and homelessness.

We urgently need your help to provide families like Sheree’s with a roof over their heads and the support they need to start a new life.

Donate before 30 June and your kind gift can also be claimed as a tax deduction this year.

*Names and images have been changed to protect the identities of our clients.

Sleeping out for equality

For Adelaide’s Juliette Warnes, the opportunity to transform the lives of homeless Australians motivated her to brave a night out in the cold as part of Mission Australia’s Winter Sleepout. This is Juliette’s account of the experience.

I decided to participate in the Winter Sleepout as an individual fundraiser before asking a couple of friends to join to me. Pretty soon we had a team of about 25 young people in our fundraising group, ‘Team Radelaide’.

We began our Sleepout at around 6pm and shared soup for dinner. We had some time to chat and get to know each other while we started a small campfire to keep warm. Some of us brought along boxes and tarps to use as a basic shelter in case it rained. We spent the night talking, laughing, sharing stories and had a couple of sing-alongs.

Importantly, we set aside some time throughout the night and in the morning to reflect on what homelessness is and how we could best support people who are experiencing it.

A big highlight of the Winter Sleepout was seeing the young people involved begin to comprehend what homelessness is. A person sleeping from couch to couch is homeless, just as a person sleeping on the streets is.

I learned that we can never truly understand what it’s like to be homeless. We can go home to our comfy beds, with our supportive families who put food on the table, who ask us how our day was and offer us the emotional and mental support we need. But it is very hard for us to really grasp the reality of life for a person who is homeless.

I think the challenge of doing Winter Sleepout is keeping young people engaged in the learning experience after the event. It is easy for us to do a one night challenge, but to keep enough momentum to take action after the event is much harder.

I chose to support the people who Mission Australia helps through the Winter Sleepout because I believe in what the organisation is about. I believe in Mission Australia’s commitment to seeing equality and dignity restored to those in need.

Winter Sleepout is a Mission Australia event to raise funds and awareness of homelessness in Australia.

To find out more about Winter Sleepout and register a team visit www.wintersleepout.com.au

Thanks for supporting Jumpers for Joy!

Thanks to everyone who donated their old knitwear to Mission Australia as part of Noni B’s annual Jumpers For Joy promotion.

Running from 9 to 15 May, Jumpers for Joy offered Noni B customers the chance to trade in a jumper for Mission Australia and receive 25% off a new Noni B knit.

Once again there was a great response this year, with over 2,200 jumpers across Australia collected. The fashion retailer also raised over $7,000, which will help Mission Australia support families and individuals in need.

Noni B Managing Director James Kindl said the fashion retailer was proud to once again help Mission Australia strengthen families.

“This year’s event was really successful and we look forward to working on this joint venture with Mission Australia next year,” said Mr Kindl.

Well done to everyone who contributed to this campaign.

Get active and make a difference

The winter running season is almost here, with a host of marathons, fun runs and half-marathons planned across the country over the coming months.

There’s the Gold Coast Marathon on the weekend of 2-3 July, Run Melbourne on 17 July, the Sydney City2Surf on 14 August and the Perth City to Surf on 28 August, with more events planned in Brisbane, Adelaide and Sydney during September.

These events not only offer a great chance to get healthy and take on a challenge, but also the opportunity to help raise funds for Mission Australia’s work with disadvantaged Australians.

Simply follow one of the links below to your chosen event, register online and select Mission Australia as your charity of choice. We can help you set up your own unique fundraising page to share with your friends and family so that you can start fundraising to transform lives.

If you’re planning to take part in the Sydney City2Surf or the Gold Coast Marathon you’ll have to move quickly as earlybird registrations (with a discounted entry fee) for both events close on 1 June.

So why not get moving to make a difference this winter?

Events

• Gold Coast Marathon, 2-3 July, goldcoastmarathon.com.au
• Run Melbourne, 17 July, runmelbourne.com.au
• City2Surf (Sydney), 14 August, city2surf.com.au
• City to Surf (Perth), 28 August, citytosurf.activ.asn.au
• Bridge to Brisbane, 1 September, bridgetobrisbane.com.au
• City-Bay (Adelaide), 18 September, city-bay.org.au
• Sydney Running Festival, 18 September, sydneyrunningfestival.com.au

Noni B running Jumpers For Joy again

Noni B is once again getting behind Mission Australia’s support of struggling families, with the fashion retailer running its Jumpers For Joy promotion for the third year.

The campaign builds on the success of last year’s event, which raised close to $10,000 and collected 10,000 donated jumpers from Noni B customers and staff. Running from 9 to 15 May, Jumpers for Joys offers Noni B customers the chance to trade in a jumper for Mission Australia and receive 25% off a new Noni B knit.

Shoppers are also invited to donate their spare coins to Mission Australia while in the store. All jumpers and proceeds raised will go to Mission Australia to support individuals and families in need.

Noni B Managing Director James Kindl said the fashion retailer was very proud to once again help Mission Australia strengthen families.

“Last year’s event was very exciting and a positive initiative for our staff and customers,” Mr Kindl said. “We look forward to this year’s event being a bigger success and we are very excited to be working on this joint venture with Mission Australia.

“It is great to be running Jumpers for Joy for the third year; we see it as a great opportunity to make a real difference. Mission Australia is a fantastic Australian charity and their work is recognised throughout the country,” he added.

This year Noni B is aiming to collect twice as many jumpers and raise even more money for Australians in need.

Simply bring your old jumpers or cardigans into your local Noni B store this week. You’ll not only save money on a new knit, but also support families just like Gracie’s who have fallen on hard times.

To view Noni B’s winter collection or find out more about the Jumpers for Joy promotion visit nonib.com.au/mission-australia-winter-appeal.

IAC Media Release: Australian charities join forces to change attitudes to bequest giving

More than 100 of Australia’s leading charities have joined forces in a new campaign, urging Australians to leave a charitable bequest in their wills.

The ‘Include a charity, help the work live on’ campaign, which launched today (21/3) with a TV advertisement, aims to change people’s behaviour and educate the public into leaving a gift in their will. The campaign is supported by a consortium of Australia’s most loved charities.

Research shows that while 70% of the Australian population support charities, only 7.5% of Australians over 60 leave a charitable gift in their will. If this figure increased to 14%, it would create an additional $440 million for charities in Australia every year.

Include a Charity Founding Director Marcus Blease said, “Charities play an important role in filling the gaps in services where government or society can’t. Without this income, the vital support services and research projects that charities deliver simply would not happen.”

Most charities rely on bequests or gifts in wills as a vital source of income and without money from bequests, many charities would not exist. Fortunately the research is encouraging, with 29% of people surveyed saying that they would be happy to leave a gift in their will once family and friends had been provided for.

“Leaving a percentage of your estate, a sum of money or other assets in your will can make a huge difference to the lives of so many Australians, including our own children, families and friends.” Mr Blease said.

The income that charities receive from the public is under increasing pressure due to rises in the cost of living and donations to other important causes such as natural disaster appeals. The “Include a Charity” campaign is calling on the generosity of everyday Australians to leave a gift in their will, however small.

Australians can get involved by visiting the Include a Charity website which contains practical tips about preparing a will; how to leave a gift in your will, and finding a suitable charity to donate to.

The new campaign also challenges the misconception that only wealthy people leave bequests.

Include a Charity Director Jo-Anne Reeves said, “Gifts left to charities in wills are made from people in all walks of life, not just the wealthy. Even a modest gift can be life changing for someone in need. And when you choose to leave a gift in your will, it benefits the whole community.”

The TV advertising campaign runs through March. For the full list of charities involved see page two.

Media contacts:

Debbie Agnew, Project Manager, Include a Charity: 0416 753 984
Sue Bobbermein, Cancer Council Australia: 02 8063 4154

Member charities include:

ActionAid Alzheimer’s Australia NSW Amnesty International Australia Anglicare Canberra & Goulburn Animals Australia Arthritis Australia Australian Children's Music Foundation Australian Diabetes Council Australian Heart Foundation Autism Spectrum Australia (ASPECT) Autism Victoria Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute Baptcare Baptist Community Services Benetas Benevolent Society Bowel Cancer Australia Breast Cancer Institute of Australia Brotherhood of St. Laurence Burnet Institute Bush Heritage Australia Cancer Council Australia CARA CARE Australia CBM Australia Centenary Institute Cerebral Palsy Alliance Charitable Works Fund of the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney ChildFund Australia Children’s Cancer Institute of Australia Children's Hospital Westmead Children’s Medical Research Institute Cure Cancer Australia Cystic Fibrosis Australia Diabetes Australia – QLD Diabetes Australia - VIC Disability, Sport and Recreation Down Syndrome NSW Down Syndrome Society of SA Earthwatch Institute Australia Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria Fred Hollows Foundation Garvan Research Foundation Glaucoma Australia Greenpeace Australia Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Guide Dogs SA Guide Dogs VIC Heart Research Centre House With No Steps Independence Australia Interplast Australia & New Zealand Leukaemia Foundation QLD

Life Education Lort Smith Animal Hospital Lung Institute of Western Australia Mater Melbourne City Mission Mental Health Research Institute Mission Australia Motor Neurone Disease Australia MS Australia Murdoch Children’s Research Institute National Breast Cancer Foundation Nature Foundation SA Neuroscience Research Australias Odyssey House Victoria Opportunity International Australia OzChild Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation Priests’ Retirement Foundation Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia Red Cross Rotary Foundation Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation Royal District Nursing Service Royal Flying Doctor Service Royal Institute for Deaf & Blind Children RSL Care RSPCA Sacred Heart Mission Salvation Army SANE Australia Save the Children SIDS and Kids Smith Family Southern Cross Care (Vic) St. Mary’s Cathedral St. Vincent’s Brisbane St. Vincent’s Hospital Foundation Starlight Children’s Charity Stroke Foundation Surf Life Saving Foundation Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation Taronga Conservation Society Australia The Pyjama Foundation The Royal Society for the Blind The Shepherd Centre University of Technology Sydney Variety VicRelief Foodbank Villa Maria Vision Australia Westpac Helicopter Rescue World Society for the Protection of Animals Yooralla Young Care

Support Christchurch at the RaboDirect Melbourne Rebels game

Mission Australia and our new partners, RaboDirect Melbourne Rebels, are teaming up to support Christchurch earthquake victims at AAMI Park this Friday night.

The Super Rugby home match between the Rebels and ACT Brumbies was initially intended to be a fundraiser for Mission Australia’s youth services. However, in light of this week’s terrible disaster in New Zealand, funds will instead be directed to providing earthquake relief.

Fifty cents from every ticket sold will now go towards helping people in need in Christchurch. Rugby supporters are also encouraged to make a donation to the Mission Australia tin-rattlers who will be at AAMI Park collecting money for earthquake victims. You can find them outside the gates before the match and in the food concourse areas at half-time.

Friday night’s fundraising activities will officially launch the partnership between the RaboDirect Melbourne Rebels and Mission Australia. Throughout the year the team’s official Mission Australia ambassadors - Gareth Delve, Adam Byrnes, Tom Chamberlain, Luke Jones, Richard Kingi and Ged Robinson - will help raise funds and awareness for local youth services.

If you going to the game on Friday night, please give generously to Mission Australia’s volunteer tin-rattlers and support our cousins in New Zealand in their greatest time of need.

Eamon is helping us to 'Bake A Difference'

Olympic swimmer Eamon Sullivan has got behind the CSR Bake A Difference campaign, which is encouraging Australians to get into the kitchen to help raise funds for Mission Australia.

The swimming star appeared on Channel Nine’s Today show yesterday to give his support to the CSR Sugar campaign, which encourages people to bake gifts for their loved ones, friends and co-workers and donate the money saved from buying presents to Mission Australia.

You can watch Eamon display his baking skills at the following link:

10.10.10 Sleepout a success

Left to Right:
 T.Hall, D.Petsalis, K.Hussey, M.Arbib

More than 250 Sydneysiders joined Mission Australia CEO Toby Hall and the Federal Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness, Senator the Hon Mark Arbib, at Centennial Park on Sunday for the 10.10.10 Sleepout.

Rugged up to brave the cool night, Mission Australia supporters raised over $65,000 for services providing crisis care, transitional or medium-term accommodation for young Australians in need.

Everybody slept out to mark World Homelessness Day and support young people close to or experiencing homelessness and the services that work tirelessly to help them.

Senator Arbib went one step further than most and “slept rough” outside in the elements as many young people do every night.

"It's incredibly hard to imagine being a young person without a place to call home – a place that most people find to be a strong source of comfort and stability,” he said.

Joining Minister Arbib and Toby Hall was HRX Chairman Katrina Leslie and Missionbeat Manager Daniel Petsalis.

“On any given night in Australia, almost 105,000 men, women and children are homeless with a staggering 43 per cent aged under 25 years,” said Mr Hall.

Missionbeat Manager Daniel Petsalis was thrilled with the support: "It was a fantastic event for raising awareness of the issue - since Sunday I’ve been swamped with calls from participants who want to learn more about supporting youth homelessness services through volunteering or donations."

Mission Australia is very grateful for the generous support of event partner HRX and a host of local contributors who covered all catering and costs for the event.

For further information please visit www.hrx.com.au/101010sleepout  

Minister for Homelessness to sleep rough for a night

10.10.10 Sleepout on World Homelessness Day – Sunday 10 October 2010

Australian Government Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness, Senator The Hon Mark Arbib, will join hundreds of other brave souls by taking part in a mass sleep-out in Centennial Park this weekend to raise awareness and funds for Mission Australia’s youth homeless services.

The 10.10.10 Sleepout starts at 5pm on Saturday 9 October and finishes at 9am on Sunday 10 October and involves participants bedding down underneath the stars in Centennial Park.

The 10.10.10 Sleepout is an initiative of the Sydney-based company HRX, through its HRX Giving program http://www.hrx.com.au/.

Minister Arbib said the sleepout was a fantastic opportunity for the community to show their support for young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

"It's incredibly hard to imagine being a young person without a place to call home – a place that most people find to be a strong source of comfort and stability,” Senator Arbib said.

“I encourage all to throw their support behind this event, whether it be by donating funds, busking to attract donations or sleeping out in the beautiful Centennial Park.

"I also applaud the fantastic work that Mission Australia does to support disadvantaged young people – they are passionate people making a difference to young peoples' lives."

Joining Minister Arbib will be Mission Australia’s CEO Toby Hall and HRX Chairman Katrina Leslie.

“On any given night in Australia, almost 105,000 men, women and children are homeless with a staggering 43 per cent aged under 25 years,” says Mission Australia’s CEO, Toby Hall.

“Youth homelessness is becoming increasingly evident in Sydney. The 10.10.10 Sleepout will make a valuable contribution to helping us meet that need. We sincerely appreciate the support of the Minister at this event and we encourage Sydneysiders to also get behind it.”

HRX Chairman Katrina Leslie says, “Given the magnitude of youth homelessness, we decided to direct our 2010 HRX Giving program towards raising funds for Mission Australia’s youth homeless services – and we thought we’d invite the rest of Sydney to join us.”

Registered sleep-out participants raise funds by organising sponsorship from family and friends. Participants are allowed to bring a tent or sleep under the stars – whichever they prefer.

All money raised will go to Mission Australia’s services providing crisis care, transitional or medium-term accommodation and essential support for young Australians in need.

For further information and to register please visit: www.hrx.com.au/101010sleepout

For interviews with Senator Arbib contact: Sean Sammon on 0417 137 419

For media inquiries re the 10.10.10 Sleepout contact: Paul Andrews 0409 665 495

Great news for Families and Children services as HART Sport pledge over $30,000 in donations

Mission Australia has teamed up with HART Sport to raise over $30,000 for Mission Australia's Families and Children services.

For each order in September HART Sport will make a donation to Mission Australia, pledging to donate a minimum of $30,000.

"This is a huge first for HART Sport. It will be our first charity donation to directly fund programs that make a difference in communities across Australia." said Greg Harten, Managing Director for HART Sport.

"The idea comes after feedback from our staff. Hopefully with the support of our customers we can raise more than $30,000."

HART Sport would like to help the 110 Mission Australia family services that were able to transform the lives of 28,451 individuals and 7,749 families through the provision of 50,228 service incidences.

So if you're in the market for some sporting gear, you can support MA services at the same time.  Check out www.hartsport.com.au for more information.

Creative Youth Initiatives fundraise over $2,000 in overnight Winter Sleepout

Sydney's Creative Youth Initiatives (CYI) team are back at work and reflecting on their 15-hour Winter Sleepout late last week.

Since the first Winter Sleepout in 1988, thousands of people have registered to give up their warm beds in the height of winter for one night to fundraise for homeless services.

This year the CYI team decided to arrange their own overnight sleepout at their Surry Hills workshop - with enough fun and games for the team to (mostly) make it through the night without a wink of sleep.

The Creative Youth Initiatives' art and music studio, with access to piano, guitars, electric drums, and facilities for painting, was ideal for the team to remain preoccupied while staving off the slumber.  View photos from the night here.

Games, drinks and food were organised through the night, while an office was turned into a 'chill out' zone where the team could retreat for some well-deserved down-time.

The team managed a tremendous effort, with almost $2,200 funds raised, granting them pole position in Winter Sleepout's leader board of group fundraisers.

At the ground level, CYI provides free creative programs for young people aged 16 - 25 who are facing varied challenges in their lives, such as homelessness, mental health issues or family breakdown, and have been reflecting on their Winter Sleepout experience.

Team member Melissa Fenyo said "Winter Sleepout is there to raise awareness of what it must be like to be homeless...but there is nothing trivial about not having a home."

"For many being homeless means sleeping on the streets, in parks or bus shelters - exposed to the elements.

"Many young people who are homeless would be couch surfing, never quite sure how long it will take before they outstay their welcome.

"Then there are the homeless who are in boarding housing or caravan parks with no lease to give them long term security and not knowing when they might get booted out. No ongoing stability and security can exarcebate any mental health issues and make life even tougher.

"The CYI winter sleepout was an opportunity for staff to appreciate their work place, their homes, raise awareness in the general community and also to develop a greater understanding and deeper empathy for many homeless young people who access their services. Lack of sleep made life the next day very difficult.. whatever goes up must come down.

"Being homeless would often mean not having a good nights sleep, making it hard to stay focused and motivated. The Winter Sleep out is a fantastic Mission Australia initiative and one which CYI will continue to be involved with.

"CYI staff would like to thank everyone who donated to our winter sleepout. We are proud to say we have raised $2,195 and are still open to take donations until the end of August."

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View the photo album from the event at the link below.  Updates were provided througout the night by the team on Twitter and Facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/MissionAust?v=photos&ref=sgm#!/album.php?aid=247652&id=17311508507

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Sydney youth service to host Winter Sleepout - with a creative edge

Mission Australia's Creative Youth Initiatives (CYI) team are getting prepared for their inaugural 'Art-and-Music-athon', a 15-hour creative drive hosted at their headquarters in Sydney's Surry Hills.

The event is set to kick off at 6pm, Thursday 22nd July, to run through the night to 9am the following day.

CYI's creative team will perform at the event and are each fundraising through CYI's Everyday Hero page to help achieve the fundraising target of $4000.  Supporters contribute to the event by making a donation to individual team members.

The 'Art-and-Music-athon' is a fundraiser for the Winter Sleepout appeal, which in turn strengthens ground-level services such as CYI, or neighbouring services Mission Australia Centre or Missionbeat.

CYI Service Manager, Irene Drivilas, is getting excited about hosting the new event in the wake of the successful album launch of Still Spinning.

"The night will be a buzz of creative inspiration as participants add their expressive flavour and style to musical and artistic activities, games, teasers, energisers and dares; all under the direction of the dynamic CYI team."

With the challenge run overnight, participants will be aided by regular breaks, ‘Down Time' rooms, and food & beverages.

Check out the event site for details, all are welcome!  www.everydayhero.com.au/creative_youth_initiatives