Over the past few weeks the Dine for Life team was faced with the extremely difficult decision of choosing a charity that the upcoming Summer Dinner would donate its proceeds to. Since each dinner raises money for just one charity, the decision required serious deliberation. And the choice was made all the more difficult by the fact that all ten of the charities we were considering presented worthy causes.
James Young, Dine for Life’s Charity Manager and Event Ambassador, acted as the liaison between Dine for Life and the charity organisations. He asked all interested charities to draw up an application which explained how they would use the money raised by the Summer Dinner, were they to be this dinner’s featured charity.
James said, “Given all the ideas I’m already hearing from the responding charities, it seems the charities are really taking to the Dine for Life ideal and coming up with fantastic ways to spend the money.”
Nevertheless, we could only choose one charity that we felt was the most deserving, and that was the Samaritans Crisis Line.
The Samaritans Crisis Line is a not-for-profit organisation that offers non-judgmental, emotional support to the lonely, despairing and suicidal, or those at risk of becoming so. Their team of trained volunteers provide face-to-face support by day and are on hand 24/7 to answer calls and emails in a time of crisis.
Dine for Life co-founder Andjelka Matic said selecting the Samaritans as the aligned charity for the upcoming event was an obvious choice.
“We are all about raising social awareness of important issues, and mental health is a major issue in our society that needs to be given a voice,” she said.
Samaritans representative Mandy Paterson said the support from Dine for Life will be invaluable in ensuring people are aware of the services offered by the Crisis Line.
“Raising awareness of mental health is of great importance to communities in WA and throughout Australia, and it’s likely to become more so over time. With valuable support and funding from Dine for Life to enhance our media coverage, marketing and public activities, Samaritans Crisis Line can help educate the public and reduce the fear and stigma associated with mental health issues, ” Paterson said.
Tags: Charities, charity, dining, mental health, non-profit, perth, Samaritans Crisis Line, suicide, summer dinner 2010
