Community Charity Events in Australia - Case Study Example

Community charity events bring people together for a cause, but the difference this time in the The Sun-Herald 2Surf was a competition between charity fund-raisers for the highest amount raised. About 64,000 entrants raised more than $1million between them. The two winners Fiona Fairlie and Lisa Taylor raised about $30,000 each. The amount Mrs. Fairlie raised would fund her favourite charity The Shepherd Centre, which has a program of early intervention which teaches hearing impaired children to interact using hearing-aids or implants. Mrs. Fairlie's son Hamish benefited from this program and now goes to regular school. Miss Taylor's chosen charity was Make a Difference, a small charity that supports children and their families in Sydney suffering from financial crisis. These Sydney families would be directly supported by the funds raised here. Both ladies were awarded $15000 each to visit their charities of choice, as well as a trip to Hawaii. ----------------------------------- APEC summits usually draw their share of protesters to each meet, and the businesses of the CBD at Sydney are being asked to beef up security in anticipation of untoward events or damages to property by protesters. According to the NSW Business chamber's chief executive, Kevin MacDonald, the challenge for the businesses would be to cope with upsets in everyday business due to security and transport measures taken by the government as well as taking on additional individual security measures. The reinforced security measures could include simple things like locking doors, limiting access to vital areas and increasing the amount of security at the shop fronts. Businesses with shop fronts would be particularly vulnerable, and both Australian as well as international businesses could be targeted. These conclusions are based on previous experiences of demonstrations by protesters at APEC summits. All businesses are therefore taking the threat of possible damage to property very seriously. ------------------------------------------ This year, the theme of the one of the oldest and most renowned Australian flora festivals, Bowral Tulip Time, is "Breast Cancer Awareness and the Spirit of Cricket". This festival at Corbett Gardens supports deserving charities and is this time showcasing the McGrath Foundation, which works for the awareness of breast cancer. Since Bowral is the home of the cricket icon Don Bradman, and the McGrath Foundation is founded by former Australian cricketer Glenn McGrath, the natural association of cricket into the cause of breast awareness is marked by two remarkable themed gardens. Other than the100,000 tulips in the Corbett Gardens, some exotic private gardens can be seen on the "Garden Trail", and art, textile and pottery exhibitions enjoyed on the "Garden and Art Trail" spread across the Southern Highlands. The weekend would also be marked by a food and wine festival, a special charity cricket day, and a gala dinner. ---------------------------------------- The APEC summit would end with a short, five-minute fireworks display. This is supposed to mark the end of the summit, and would complement the appearance of the APEC logo that would be shining on the Sydney Harbour Bridge from September 2 to 9. The fireworks would be sent off from various tall ships and yachts, but not from the Sydney Bridge itself, and the entire display would be called "River of Fire". The show would be exclusive to the visiting dignitaries who would be attending a 45-minute performance featuring young Australian artists inside the nearby Sydney Opera House. Since the fireworks display would be very short, and would be held inside the area under APEC security restrictions, APEC spokeswoman Anne Fulwood felt that the general public would enjoy it better on their television sets. This would also prevent any disruptions in the area under the APEC strict security lock-down. ----------------------------- A new music, art and media festival called Up! would be presented by the Frontier Touring Company this spring. It would be headed by Michael Franti and his band Spearhead, as well as other Australian bands. The idea behind the festival is to raise awareness about various causes supported by Franti like AIDS, homelessness, death penalty, drug addiction and so on through music, media and art. The festival would encourage creative expression. It would be a platform where people can take, audio, video and photographic records and share them in the media, along with their own opinions. An activist, poet, filmmaker and musician, Franti believes in educating the masses through fun and entertainment, and using creativity and freedom of expression to bring in vogue urgent issues and required action. The festival would partner with environmental agencies on constructive recycling projects, and tour through the major Australian cities in September. -------------------------- The Good Food and Wine Show would surely live up to its name. On one hand there will be celebrity chef Ainsley Harriot entertaining guests along with the Aria restaurant owners and Curtis Stone, who will launch his range of cookware. On the other, one can attend wine tasting, advice from wine experts, and cocktail lessons from Hayden "Woody" Wood. There will be Wyndham Estate, with tastings of its range of wines. Besides wine, there would also be a new range of healthy juices launched by Emma and Tom, which would provide not only taste, but also provide nutrition customized to a person's needs and lifestyle. There would be a presentation of international cuisine, with representatives from Korea, Spain, New Zealand and others vying to win over taste buds. There would be more than 300 exhibitors at the spread out show, presenting rare and exotic products from all over the world. ---------------------- The annual RSPCA Million Paws Walk is a big source of financial support for RSPCA Queensland, which takes care of thousands of animals through shelters all over the state. The RSPCA Million Paws Walk is organized by the Samford Valley Veterinary Hospital, which has arranged for two walks for the event, one of 2km and the other of 4km. It is known that dogs encourage fitness in their owners because these pets need walking everyday, so an aerobic session for warm-up, along with other activities which test the fitness and abilities of both the dogs and their owners featured at the event. There are activities like face painting and pet photography, as well as competitions which range from pets and owner lookalikes to older pets, as well as agility and obedience displays. Extensive participation in this event would help raise funds to look after an estimated 41, 000 animals an year. -------------------------- The events leading to the World Youth Day celebrations to be held in July next year at Sydney started with the arrival of the symbolic cross and the portrait of Virgin Mary from New Zealand. Archbishops from both New Zealand and Australia and PM John Howard were present and gave inspiring speeches. The occasion was hailed as an opportunity for all Christians to renew their faith, and the Sydney was called the focal point of the Christian world on July 20 next year. Following the welcoming ceremony, the cross went on the first leg of its year-long journey across Australia to Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour, where it was welcomed by thousands, and the official Sydney 2008 anthem was premiered by Guy Sebastian and Paulini. The week-long event to be attended by Pope Benedict XVI expects 120,000 overseas visitors, up to 600,000 participants, and could generate $150 million in revenue. Read More