Partnership formed for funds challenge
by Emma Ballingall Olivia’s Place in Warragul has launched “Match Giving Month” for November with an aim of raising $15,000 to support Gippsland families.
In a challenging year in which Olivia’s Place has had to cancel many of its regular fundraising activities, cofounder Kirsten Finger said Metricon and HomeSolution by Metricon would match every dollar donation made to the Warragul organisation during the month of November.
Funds will help support 15 Gippsland families every week for an entire year.
“Coronavirus restrictions have significantly impacted many of our usual fundraising activities this year, so we appreciate Metricon’s involvement in our Matched Giving Month and hope we can meet our fundraising goal to help more local mums and dads give their babies the best possible start to life,” Ms Finger said.
Metricon’s Gippsland manager Jeff Telford said Metricon was proud to support Olivia’s Place and the work they do in the Gippsland community.
“This year has been challenging for many families,” he said. “We encourage those who are in the position to do so to please make a donation to Olivia’s Place during November, so together we can help the incredible team at Olivia’s Place maintain the important work they do.”
“For every dollar the community donates, we will give a dollar. For example, a $25 donation will effectively be $50,” Mr Telford added.
Ms Finger also welcomed several Metricon Homes staff members last week who selected the Warragul charity for a workplace volunteer day. They helped sort the items donated by the community.
Ms Finger noted a drop in volunteers due to restrictions over recent months. She said numbers were beginning to pick up as restrictions eased and new people are welcome.
Olivia’s Place continued to operate with no interruption to services due to a recently introduced online system. They moved from the Warragul office to their homes overnight.
“It’s been really challenging but we’ve been able to keep doing what we do from anywhere,” she said. “We’ve been lucky”.
Whilst Ms Finger said the Match Giving Month wasn’t a replacement for the annual gala cancelled in August, it would certainly raise valuable funds to support new and expectant parents during pregnancy and the first year of their child’s life.
To donate to Olivia’s Place, visit matchedgiving month.raisely.com.
For those who are unable to make a monetary donation but would still like to contribute in some way, Olivia’s Place is always in need of volunteers and pre-loved baby items they can re-home such as clothes, cots, prams, car seats, high chairs, bottles and change tables.