$40,000 for Olivia’s Place
Fathers and the community were celebrated at the Olivia’s Place Charity Auction last month.
The night was a huge success with $40,594 raised for the organisation thanks to the support of our donors and the 138 people in attendance.
The theme for the event was Super Dads; ‘not all superheroes wear capes’. Keynote speaker, Rein Janssen, shared the importance of dads building and maintaining community connections and how this inspired him to create the Dads of Baw Baw group under the guidance of Dads Group Inc.
Compere Aaron Chilcott ensured the night ran smoothly while Paul Phillips conducted the successful auction.
Winning bidders also received ‘mystery prizes’ attached to many of the auction items ranging from $20 local café vouchers or local wine bottles through to $1000 photography vouchers. Door prizes took a different form this year, with five men named ‘John’ all receiving a prize for sharing the most common name on the night.
The generous support from the community will assist Olivia’s Place to maintain its level of service for the next six months.
Over the 2017/18 financial year, Olivia’s Place saw a 76 per cent increase in demand for services with 163 families supported, and a 157 per cent increase in demand for material aid with $84,331 in value of items rehomed to families for free.
It is anticipated that this demand will continue to grow over the next financial year, highlighting the need for ongoing financial and voluntary support for the organisation.