The five, carefully selected principal beneficiaries for 2011 funds raised by all of us are: Childwise; YoungCare; The Lighthouse Foundation, The Smile Foundation and Whitelion.

Bernadette McMenamin AO, Founder and CEO of Child Wise:

Glenn Carmody, Managing Partner, Ernst & Young Assurance Melbourne and Chairperson of Child Wise Board of Directors: Children’s Promise provides a practical way for Australians to improve the lives of vulnerable children in our community. Donating an hour of my time this year is the least that I can do to support a child’s life. I encourage all Australians to pledge an hour of their time or income to ensure a united front is presented to protecting children’s futures.”

What does Childwise do? Child Wise is Australia’s leading international child protection charity committed to the prevention and reduction of sexual abuse and exploitation of children around the world. Child Wise was established in 1993 and is the only Australian based organisation committed to strengthening the capacity of individuals, communities, and governments to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation. Child Wise’s primary focus is to prevent abuse before it happens. Our programs are child-focused, award-winning and informed by a fundamental belief that children have a right to physical and psychological safety.  Child sexual abuse is a global problem that knows no borders. Child Wise works in Australia, Asia and the Pacific delivering programs to prevent such abuses against children.

What will we do with the money? Child Wise understands that abuse is the greatest threat to children’s futures. Not only does child abuse destroy lives, it also costs Australian’s billions of dollars each year. As long as we keep ignoring the underlying causes of child sexual abuse and not investing in prevention, the problem will continue to grow and will be passed intergenerationally. All donations received by Child Wise are allocated to programs and campaigns that aim to empower individuals including children, parents, communities, carers and government institutions to prevent children from being sexually abused or exploited.”

Kane Bowden, CEO: Mahatma Ghandi once said the best test of a civilised society is in the way it treats its weakest members. It is inspiring to witness what can be achieved when members of our community join together to extend their hand to the most vulnerable. Lighthouse Foundation is proud to be part of the Children’s Promise initiative. This simple, groundbreaking initiative will enable Lighthouse – and others –  to create brighter futures for young people.

What does the Foundation do? Lighthouse Foundation provides homeless young people who come from backgrounds of long term neglect and abuse with a home, a sense of family and around the clock therapeutic care. Through their Lighthouse experience, the young people heal, learn again to relate to others and rebuild their lives.

What will we do with the money? Lighthouse runs a variety of programmes and activities including the ones listed below:

• Self-Development Courses $2,500 - Because the young people often come from a background of long term abuse and neglect, the role of self-development courses in overcoming behavioural barriers and gaining confidence and self-esteem is critical in their healing process.  This opportunity provides experiences such as a weekend adventurous activities camp, attendance at an I Can Cope 6-week life-skills development, or a financial literacy program.*Mainstream education and transition to work programs are provided by the Lighthouse Education Fund.
• Sponsorship of a young person of $5,000* per month covers their accommodation and food, care and clothing, counselling and life skills education. It also enables the young person to be confident that, should the going get tough, they can continue to access the nurturing and support through ‘Life Membership’ to Lighthouse long after they have transitioned to independent living.
• Food and Living costs for a home for a year $10,000 - food costs for each home are a real and ever-increasing cost for Lighthouse.  The experience of food shopping and learning to cook hearty, nutritious meals for the ‘family’ in a Lighthouse home is an important part of the education program for young people who have rarely experienced a normal home environment. The added joy of sitting down with others to enjoy a meal together can be a new experience that creates a real sense of belonging and joy. A gift that provides these essentials enables Lighthouse to free up funds for maintenance and other much-needed activities.
• Funding of the salary for a full-time live-in Carer at a Lighthouse home for 6 months = $25,000 - the linchpin of the Lighthouse Therapeutic Family Model of Care are the Carers who hold specialist skills and experience.  They are specially selected because of their high degree of personal maturity, integrity, emotional stability and resilience.  Their leadership and management skills are critical to the recovery, development and growth of the young people in their care.

Ms Evie Smith, Director – Community Relations: “The SMILE Foundation is thrilled to be participating in Children’s Promise and feel strongly that this is a win-win situation and an excellent vehicle to raise much needed funds and awareness for children who suffer from rare diseases.”

Dr Jonny Taitz: “As a practising Paediatrician, I am confronted by patients affected by rare childhood disease on a regular basis. With the help of Children’s Promise I hope we can make great strides in research and treatment in the area of rare diseases.”

What will we do with the money? With the donations generated by Children’s Promise, the SMILE Foundation, through its Family Relief Program, will continue to provide grants to families whose children suffer from rare diseases in order to help ease the financial burden of having a child with a rare disease. At the end of 2011, SMILE has helped over 500 families who in most cases do not receive any other forms of financial assistance. Many parents have to give up work and move far away from their home, other children, friends and support network when their child is diagnosed with a rare illness. The cost of treatment can be huge and ongoing costs for equipment, medication and care can be crippling. The money from Children’s Promise will enable SMILE to provide more families with grants and help support research into the diagnosis, treatment and hopefully a cure for rare childhood diseases.
 

 Mark Watt, CEO: We are committed to helping young people through providing them with opportunities to help them reach their full potential. I urge you to support    Children’s Promise through the donation of one hour of work – this is a unique and powerful platform for raising awareness and funds for some of our most disadvantaged and marginalised youth.

What does Whitelion do? Whitelion works with highly vulnerable young people involved with or at risk of involvement with the Juvenile Justice and/or Out of Home Care and Leaving Care services. We open doors to opportunities, relationships and community connections for young people through role modelling, mentoring, employment, specialised outreach services for young women and Indigenous youth, and through prevention programs run in rural and metropolitan communities.

Whitelion has been supporting highly vulnerable young people for 10 years, helping them to break the cycle of disadvantage and make positive life choices.  A focus on strong leadership, sustainable growth, organisational efficiency and empowering young people, coupled with strategic alliances and strong relationships with stakeholders ensures best-practice delivery across the continuum of service provision.

What does Youngcare do?  More than 6,500 young Australians with high care needs are living in aged care facilities around the country because there are very limited alternatives. A further 700,000 young people are being cared for at home by family and friends. Being young is about having a lifetime ahead of you, yet aged care is designed for someone who is at the end of their life. In most cases the specific care needs of a young person will not be met in aged care as they differ greatly to those of the elderly residents. Youngcare is committed to raising awareness of the issue across the nation so that we can drive change and create real choices for young Australians and their families.

What $10,000 would achieve for Youngcare - $10,000 would enable Youngcare to provide an At Home Care Grant, to assist a young person being cared for at home and at risk of entering aged care facilities.  Full-time care is often expensive and places enormous emotional, physical and financial pressure on the family to provide care. Grants of $10,000 are used for the provision of equipment or services – to provide relief for carers and improve the way in which young people with full-time care needs residing at home are cared for. These grants help young Australians with 24/7 care needs to stay at home for as long as possible.

Why Children’s Promise is a good idea - Youngcare’s philosophy to addressing this gap in Australia’s health care system is one of collaboration. Like Children’s Promise, Youngcare believes in the power of the collective; that small individual donations add up to large amounts and can shape and influence the social landscape of Australia.

What else the money could be used for - Youngcare’s work also includes Youngcare Connect – a dedicated counselling and referral line aimed at helping those in immediate need of disability information, advice and support; as well as the construction of dignified and appropriate accommodation and care facilities. These services are only made possible through community support and fundraising.