Looking back, Looking forward
(Pictured) Michelle Latailakepa receiving a donation of $200 from the Freemasons, Beaudesert Lodge in 2015.
Written by Michelle Latailakepa, Chief Executive Officer
Over the past five years, our Unfunded Projects initiative has achieved incredible feats which have truly made a difference in the lives of the people we support. To name a few, your support has assisted with renovations of our community facilities ($40,328); funded free and subsidised transportation for participants ($276,717); and has even provided emergency Short-Term Accommodation to a young man, who at no fault of his own became homeless ($116,000). It has been an incredible journey and I am sincerely grateful to everyone who has supported our cause. Whether you dressed up as a superhero and supported our 1:5 All Abilities Relay events, bought a ticket to support us in the Play For Purpose Charity Raffle, donated or purchased items at our Preloved Homewares Op Shop, held an internal fundraiser through your business, popped some loose change in one of our donation tins or been apart of our Workplace Giving program, it has all contributed to bringing some of these amazing projects to fruition. I am proud to announce that to date we have raised $607,922.92 . We believe in transparency which is why we proudly publish each project we have funded, to give you the confidence in where your money goes when you donate to RLOA. As our footprint continues to grow, we will be continuing to raise money for important projects which support the communities we serve which wouldn’t be possible without your ongoing support. I hope RLOA can continue to rely on you to assist us in achieving our purpose of “Thriving people, Strong communities”. To support our cause, please visit www.rloa.org.au/donate
Since 2015, our Unfunded Projects initiative has formed the backbone for many projects, which without community support, would not have been made possible. It might sound cliché, but from time to time I like to stop and reflect on just how far we have come as an organisation. In 2015, one of the first initiatives I introduced at the beginning of my tenure as CEO was our Unfunded Projects. The intention of our Unfunded Projects initiative was to raise funds for important projects that added value to the lives of the people we support and as a way to show donors, where their donations were going when they supported RLOA. Our first fundraising target was to purchase the specially designed sensory equipment required for the new Sensory Room we had just built. Through utilising our savings, RLOA was able to contribute $6,182.41 towards the panelling, painting and electrical work required to get the Sensory Room prepared. Through the generosity of our supporters, we met our goal of first goal of $5852.71. Today, this incredible space is still amuch loved part of visiting Emerald House and is often used when people stay for Short TermAccommodation. Since our first project, we have successfully funded sixteenUnfundedProjects , which is drivenby theneeds of the people we support. I consider this an incredible achievement for a community based organisation operating across drought-stricken rural and regional communities, especially throughout this period.
14 Rural Lifestyle Options Australia Magazine
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker