Orange Sky Laundry’s operations in Canberra and Queanbeyan were funded last year by generous locals. Photo: Orange Sky.
Canberra is small, well connected and smart. Canberrans have good brains and generous hearts, and we’re open to visionary thinking.
So here’s another big idea: could we create a culture of giving that stretches across the whole city, whoever you are and wherever you live?
I’m proposing we start every year by focusing on giving where we live during the Canberra Day Appeal.
The timing is good: everyone is back from their holidays down the coast or painting their bathrooms. School has begun, workplaces are gearing up for the year ahead.
Wouldn’t it be great to start by helping out a local who needs a hand? That’s something we can all do because giving isn’t just for the rich. The origins of the word philanthropy are Greek – it simply means loving people.
We have only a handful of very wealthy people and foundations in Canberra, and many are very committed donors.
The likes of the Snow Foundation, the Tall Foundation, the John James Foundation, Aspen Medical and Capital Chemist are well-organised, well-run and very generous.
But it’s not just them – hats off to postcode 2602 (that’s you, Ainslie, Dickson and Downer), to the big hearts at 2615 (Charnwood, Dunlop and Florey) and the generous folk in 2611 (Stromlo and Warramanga). According to Australian Red Cross figures, you gave the most per capita across the ACT.
Those figures also demonstrate you don’t need a fortune to make an impact. You can be a family, a small business or a group of friends.
You might be surprised to find out who really gives back in this town. It’s not always those who are raking in the cash from government contracts or sitting pretty in Civic highrises.
Fully 30 per cent of the business donations Hands Across Canberra receives come from the construction industry. I’m not just talking about major construction firms – it’s builders and subbies, suppliers and contractors of all sizes giving us a hand and their spare dollars.
Master Builders ACT is gearing up again to build a charity house with us, helping victims and survivors of family and domestic violence. Long-established local businesses like A&P Leemhuis and Oztal Architects will help us at cost or as a donation, and mostly out of the goodness of their hearts rather than a desire for recognition.
I hear that often – “don’t make a fuss about the donation, I’m just doing it for Canberra. That’s what really matters”. In Sydney and Melbourne, they have flashy dinners with people’s names up in lights. In Canberra, we have charity barbecues.
I’ve always believed Canberra functions like a big country town, and the giving patterns I see at Hands Across Canberra endorse that theory.
If you look at the ticker on our Canberra Day Appeal site, you’ll see donations to 90 different charities ranging from $10 to $100,000, because every little bit helps.
This Canberra Day, we’re asking everyone in Canberra to give what they can. Giving through Hands Across Canberra helps us measure the impact and funds go straight to the charities. There are no charges or delays and we match a portion of the donations to boost the results.
So get a group of friends together and join the Canberra Day Fun Run. Pass the hat around when you’re having a drink after work or a weekend barbecue. Have a morning tea and get everyone to throw in $5 for the homemade goodies.
All the funds we’ll raise stay here in Canberra, helping other locals. And when you give where you live, we build a better Canberra together.
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