Philanthropy Archives | Empower Healthcare

Empower Healthcare's Bushfire Appeal to raise money for the Red Cross

Following last week’s announcement by the Victorian government declaring a State of Disaster for six Local Government Areas and the Alpine Resorts, Empower Healthcare is showing its support by running an internal organisation bushfire disaster appeal to raise much needed funds for the Red Cross.

CEO, Adam Gilroy-Smith has pledged to match every employee donation. “As a community organisation, we want to help support the thousands of people who are struggling in evacuation centres and recovery hubs around the country and proud to support the Red Cross.”

Dealing with the immediate aftermath of the fires while many fires continue to burn across the state is a significant challenge that the government cannot manage alone. There are so many ways that Victorians who are in a fortunate position can help :

Fire/police/medical/volunteers – first responders
Communities that have lost homes Communities that have lost lives
Communities where businesses have been destroyed
Communities that have been evacuated
Communities that have injured animals, wiped out flora and fauna

Where Can You Donate?

See below for an outline of just a few of the available organisation’s that are supporting the bushfire disaster:

Supporting Victorian Fires

A Bushfire Disaster Appeal has been established in support community members affected by the recent bushfires in East Gippsland and Hume.

Donations to the Bushfire Disaster Appeal can be made at any Bendigo Bank branch or online via
Bushfire Disaster Appeal Donations

Donations to the Australian Red Cross and state-based brigades like the VIC or NSW Rural Fire Service will go towards bushfire relief.
Red Cross Donations
CFA Donations

Foodbank Victoria is providing much needed food and water to communities affected by the fires.
Foodbank Donations

Giving Items

Charities like Givit specialise in goods, but act as a “charity broker” to avoid the trap of unwanted, random items.
The exact items people need are listed via charities and the public can match that or register the items they have, in case someone can use them.
Right now, Givit is running two specific campaigns supporting NSW and Queensland bushfire victims on top of its regular services.
Givit Donations

Supporting Fallen firefighter families

The NSW RFS has created dedicated bank accounts to collect donations for the families of volunteer firefighters who have been tragically killed while on duty this fire season.
RFS Donations
GoFundMePageFalledfirefighters

Fire Affected Families

We can assist homeowners whose properties have been destroyed by the fires with kits to clear the property and find valuable items in the rubble.
Samaritans Purse Donations

Evacuees

The St. Vincent de Paul Society is accepting donations on behalf of evacuees. $50 will provide food for an evacuated family. $150 will assist with bills and unanticipated expenses associated with the fire.
St. Vincent de Paul Society Donations

The Salvation Army Emergency Services is currently providing meals to evacuees and frontline responders.
Salvation Army Donations

Supporting Animal Rescue

Cash donations and a need for physical items for animals is important too.

Wildlife Victoria have a donations page.
Donations to our Victorian bushfire appeal will be distributed to wildlife shelters and carers to help rebuild enclosures and equipment that they have lost in the fires so that they can continue their lifesaving work, and support those that are struggling to cope with the enormous number of animals that will need care in the coming weeks and months.
WildLife Victoria Donations

RSPCA is currently seeking monetary contributions….
“Whilst we really appreciate the offer, at the moment we are unable to accept donated goods as the time our volunteers and staff would spend sorting through goods is more valuable helping our impacted communities in other ways. If, and when, we are deployed to bushfire affected areas in the next few days we may launch a special appeal, but in the meantime if you would like to support our work the best way to do that is by making a donation here:
RSPCA VIC Donations

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Bec Rose, one of our physio’s and an experienced horse-woman, has spent the last year planning her solo horse trek along the Bicentennial National Trail, which spans the east coast of Australia from far north Queensland to Melbourne in her quest to help raise cancer research funds.

Empower Healthcare is a proud sponsor of Bec’s incredible trek, and we will be sharing her preparations leading up and during the adventure in a special ‘Big Horse Trek’ series. In this blog, we reveal why Bec has taken on this massive personal challenge and her fundraising goal

Bec’s Story

Bec’s decision to take on this personal challenge originated during recovery from spinal surgery in July 2018. “While recuperating, I wrote what I considered to be a bastardised form of a Bucket List and “Ride the entire Bicentennial National Trail” that ended up on there as a ’Pie in the sky’ thing to do.”

However, from that day on, the seed had been planted and Bec became even more determined and committed to taking on what is considered to be a challenging and gruelling journey. The Bicentennial National Trail, also referred to as ‘the BNT’ covers 5,330km and follows the Great Dividing Range and the Eastern Escarpment of Australia, offering self-reliant distance trekkers a uniquely Australian adventure with spectacular scenery.

Nonetheless, the BNT is not to be taken lightly and provides access through some of Australia’s wildest, most inaccessible country. Significant preparation, experience, and fitness is paramount to a successful expedition. It is anticipated to take around 12 months with pack horses.

“After 10 years of crap health, I decided I wanted to do something that I would consider important in my life. I was searching for meaning and purpose. After losing my dad to cancer when I was just 13 years old, it was clear to me that it was my time to achieve something for myself and get involved in raising money to vanquish cancer.”

Bec then joined forces with the charity group Love Your Sister to try to raise her goal of $53,330 for cancer research. “I have followed the Love Your Sister charity since it began and I love and respect the work they do in raising money for cancer research, so it was a no-brainer for me to partner with them.

For the last year, I have been attempting to raise money on two fronts;

Sponsors & Funding to prepare for the trek; to purchase appropriate clothing, equipment, and food for myself and the horses along the way, along with paying for training and other expenses that come with horses (vet bills, vaccinations, etc.).
Fundraiser donations; contributions for cancer research through the Love Your Sister charity.

I am on a mission to reach out to the general public and raise funds to prevent, diagnose, or treat cancer.

Overview of Cancer in Australia

Cancer is a major cause of illness in Australia—there are over 1 million people alive in Australia who are either living with or have lived with cancer. Around 30 years ago, about 5 in 10 people survived for at least 5 years after their cancer diagnosis; more recent figures are closer to 7 in 10 people surviving at least 5 years.

Understanding and avoiding the risk factors associated with cancer can help to reduce the chance of getting cancer, while cancer screening programs increase the likelihood of detecting cancer early, enabling better outcomes from treatments. Improvements in treatments and care are also important contributors to improvements in survival.

Australian Cancer Statistics

An estimated 145,000 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in Australia this year
On average, an estimated 396 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed each day in Australia.
Cancer is a leading cause of death in Australia – almost 50,000 deaths from cancer are estimated for 2019.
1 in 2 Australian men and women will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85
Breast cancer is estimated to be the most commonly diagnosed cancer in 2019, followed by prostate cancer

Sources:

https://www.cancer.org.au/about-cancer/what-is-cancer/facts-and-figures.html

https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/cancer/cancer-in-australia-2019/contents/table-of-contents

Support Bec in her amazing journey. Donate to improve cancer patient outcomes, find new medicines and medications, improve treatment options, and survival rates. Click below to donate.

Are you a commercial business that would like to support Bec in her adventure?

Bec is looking to obtain further commercial funding and welcomes discussing partnership arrangements in areas such as:

Insurance
Personal loan (interest-free/ delayed interest)
Horse feed for along the trail
Money to purchase specialised equipment, support veterinary costs, and other horse training-related costs that need to be done prior to departure

If you’re interested, please contact Bec by email (bighorsetrek@gmail.com) with your contact details so she can call you to discuss opportunities.

You can find out more about Bec’s story and Love Your Sister’s mission by visiting her website.

You can also follow Bec’s journey through her Big Horse Trek social pages

Empower Healthcare are inspired by Bec and her developing story, and we’re thrilled to be able to lend a small hand by financially assisting Bec in preparation for the trek. We intend to spread the word and share her incredible adventure and story with monthly blogs and social posts.

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