Numbers swell for one of Perth's most loved community events

Wellington Square Park in East Perth was pulsing with over 1,200 Mission Australia guests attending our annual Christmas Lunch in the Park (CLIP) on Christmas Day, bringing some Christmas cheer to Perth locals seeking a place to celebrate the festive season.

Despite temperatures of up to 35 degrees, guests had a fantastic time thanks to the generous efforts of the 400 men and women who volunteered their time on the day and in the months leading up to the big event.

Lunch was hosted by Steve Irons, Federal Member for Swan, and Perth sports presenter Adrian Barich, with entertainment provided by the Perth Christian Choir and Perth opera singing duo Katherine and Justin Freind.

Perth has been booming with new people settling from interstate and overseas, many of whom don't have established networks or family to celebrate Christmas day with. One young family attended the lunch for the first time as they had no extended family in Australia after moving here from the UK. In true spirit of the day, the family found their friendly table hosts were also from the UK and made plans to catch up again.

CLIP is now one of Perth's major annual community events and a true demonstration of social inclusion – guests ranged from single people, couples and families, some who had recently arrived in the country, and others who may be lonely, struggling financially or homeless.

Mission Australia set to celebrate Christmas Day around the country

Thousands of Australians in need will enjoy a Christmas lunch and join in the spirit of the season at Mission Australia services and events across the country on Christmas Day.

Chief among them is Mission Australia’s Christmas Lunch in the Park (CLIP) – an event for around 2,000 disadvantaged and lonely individuals and families in Perth, now being held for the 34th consecutive year.

Run with the help of more than 400 volunteers and generous financial and in-kind donations for individuals and businesses, CLIP is one of Australia’s biggest Christmas Day gatherings.

Every guest at CLIP will enjoy a traditional Christmas lunch, entertainment throughout the day and a gift.

Volunteers greet guests as they arrive, host tables and help Santa distribute the donated gifts.

In Brisbane, Mission Australia’s Café One on Wickham will serve lunch to more than 100 homeless and disadvantaged people in the city’s centre this Christmas Day.

Café One on Wickham provides low cost meals and coffee – as well as a range of individual support services – to individuals and families in need. The café provides a sense of belonging and connection to others which is particularly important at Christmas time.

Mission Australia opened Café One to provide Christmas Day lunch for the first time last year and such was the demand it has decided to continue the tradition in 2009.

Every attendee will receive a Christmas lunch and receive a gift kindly donated by the Brisbane Lord Mayor’s Community Benefit Fund and various other organisations.

Christmas is one of the toughest times of the year for the people Mission Australia helps simply for the reason that at its heart it is a celebration of love, family and joy.

For our clients – many of whom have no family or are disconnected from them – it’s a period when that isolation and loneliness is emphasised like no other time.

However, thanks to the generosity of Mission Australia’s donors and corporate partners, our clients – along with many other thousands of Australians doing it tough – will now be able to join in the Christmas spirit.

Last minute Christmas gift ideas from Mission Australia!

With less than a few shopping days left until Christmas, Mission Australia has a range of gift ideas to help people find the right present while also sharing the festive spirit with individuals and families doing it tough.

The virtual Christmas Tree – Australia’s first 'virtual charity tree' is now online at the charity’s website. The interactive design allows visitors to choose from a range of Christmas eGifts ranging from providing a Christmas dinner to a disadvantaged family, to phone cards for homeless people.

The virtual Christmas Tree has additional features such as Christmas card features and the ability to forward your eGift ‘wishlist’ to your friends.

Ben O’Donoghue’s Outdoor cookbook – Well known Australian celebrity chef and author, Ben O’Donoghue has offered his support to Mission Australia by making his hugely successful cookbook OUTDOOR available for purchase through the Mission Australia website for a discounted price of $25 – with all proceeds going to support Mission Australia programs.

As an added incentive, Mission Australia and Ben are offering one lucky person who purchases a book through the website, the chance to win an Australia Day barbecue in their own backyard for 10 people – cooked and catered for by Ben himself – along with two cases of wine from Penfolds and their very own Barbecues Galore barbecue.

Christmas cards and hampers – A donation will be offered to Mission Australia for greeting card purchases through CharityGreetingCards.com.au and hampers purchased through CharityHampers.com.au

Mission Australia’s Christmas Appeal - This year’s Christmas appeal focuses on child poverty. Mission Australia helps disadvantaged children in a range of ways including by providing accommodation and offering early intervention support – programs that tackle problems among kids early in their lives.

According to Mission Australia’s CEO, Toby Hall:

“Giving donations as gifts to friends helps organisations like Mission Australia transform lives – through the holiday season and beyond.

“Mission Australia thanks Australians for their support in 2009, and wishes all its donors and supporters a safe and Merry Christmas.”

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Media contact: Sally Popplestone
P: 0415 547 626 or 02 9217 1036
E: popplestones@missionaustralia.com.au

Jingle Bells in a Virtual World!

Are you a serial last-minute Christmas shopper? Do you hear the cry - “only five weeks till Christmas,” and say to yourself: “that’s heaps of time”? If you answered yes to both these questions then store the links below somewhere safe – you just might need them!

The virtual Christmas tree
Mission Australia has turned the concept of a charity tree on its head and created Australia’s first 'virtual charity tree' on our website. The interactive design allows visitors to the tree to choose from a range of Christmas eGifts by clicking on one of the six themed gift tags.

The eGifts range from a Christmas dinner for a family doing it tough, to phone cards for the homeless to help them get in touch with family. Once you have selected your eGift tags, you can choose to send a link to your friends asking them to donate on your behalf. You also have the option to add eGifts to your shopping cart and deliver those gifts via email to family and friends. For those people who prefer to print their card, you can download and print your own version of each tag, filling in just your purchase information.

Christmas Appeal
This year’s Christmas Appeal theme is focused on child poverty. Right now, nearly half a million Australian children are living in poverty. Without help, these children will face challenges early in their life that may prevent them from reaching their full potential.

The appeal explains how Mission Australia helps children in this situation by providing their family with access to stable accommodation and then working with parents to help them build a strong foundation for their children's development. This includes early learning support to help children prepare for a successful transition into school.

Kids toys
In the lead up to Christmas, five per cent of all sales of toys from FishPond will be donated to Mission Australia.

Visitors to the site are also encouraged to purchase toys that can be given as Christmas presents to our clients. Fishpond will store these toys ready for distribution just before Christmas day.

The cookbook…
At the very special price of $25, the latest cookbook by Ben O’Donoghue, Ben’s Barbecue, is another perfect gift for those friends and family who enjoy cooking (or who need a helping hand).

Not only does Mission Australia receive $10 for every book purchased through the website, every person who purchases BEN'S BARBECUE will go in the draw to win an Australia Day BBQ for 10 people, catered for by Ben O'Donoghue. The prize also includes two cases of wine from Penfolds and you get to keep the barbeque!

But wait, there’s more…
Charity Greeting cards also support Mission Australia by giving us 40 cents from every card sold while Charity Hampers also provide monetary payment to us on a per hamper basis.