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<\/p>\nTim Diamond isn\u2019t one to spend too much time dwelling on past achievements.<\/p>\n
But the general manager of Cotton On Foundation has good reason to pause and reflect after what has been an outstanding year of fundraising which generated $24.7 million in the last financial year.<\/p>\n
Every cent of that was poured back into supported projects across the globe \u2013 including meals, new schools and water tanks, home schooling packs, PPE, sanitary items, vaccinations and more – during what has been a challenging time due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n
Tim places the credit firmly with his dedicated team and, above all else, the Cotton On customers who purchased everyday items such as face masks and tote bags to raise the record sum.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s incredible when you think about one item being sold every two seconds across the globe,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not asking for massive donations and we\u2019re not asking for a straight donation.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can purchase something you need or want for $3, $4 or $5 where 100 per cent of proceeds go towards making a difference.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of our projects, and the fact that I\u2019m even doing this work, is because of the support from our customers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Tim\u2019s philanthropic-focused career journey began in 2006 when he was introduced to Cotton On owner Nigel Austin.<\/p>\n The former St Joseph\u2019s College student was working in the sports industry at the time and preparing for the birth of the first of his four sons.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d left Torquay, where I grew up and myself and my wife Celeste were up in Queensland but planning to move back to Geelong,\u201d he recalls. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI met Nigel through a friend and he was looking to do some community work at the time and he said \u2018come and see me about a job\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI rocked up on his doorstep, had a chat and he didn\u2019t have anything for me but he said \u2018let\u2019s get started on some community work\u2019. Nigel had pretty much just got back from Uganda and he said \u2018mate you\u2019ve got to jump on a plane\u2019 so I did and I spent six weeks across in East Africa.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n That first visit to Mannya village \u2013 an area rife with HIV\/AIDS – was a life-changing experience that continues to motivate Tim to this day.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI remember walking down past the village in torrential rain – it was like a ghost town, it was very quiet – and I walked up to this mud brick hut.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI stood in the doorway and my eyes adjusted to the light and I saw there were 30 kids huddled up on the ground, tattered clothing, no shoes on and I realised it was a school.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey were looking up at this beautiful Ugandan lady, who I later found out was a mother from the village who was their teacher. You could see every single kid looking at her, taking in every single word and I sat down on the dirt floor while all the rain was coming through holes in the tin roof and turning into mud on the floor.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTerrible conditions, but I was amazed by how connected they were to their teacher and that was my introduction to education there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n That same day Tim visited the home of 11-year-old student, Paul, which was a simple hut kept in immaculate condition. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPaul showed me the thatched mat where he slept and he took me outside and showed me the rabbit hutch he had put together which had three little rabbits inside.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI still remember getting down on my knees and holding his hand saying \u2018thank you so much for taking me on this little tour\u2019 and I asked him if I could say thank you to his mother and father.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe said he had never met his father and his mother had passed away from HIV\/AIDS the year before. I was just blown away.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Tim also came to realise Paul was caring for his younger siblings aged only four and five.<\/p>\n \u201cIt dawned on me that this little man, 11 years old, gets up every day, looks after his little brother and sister, keeps the house immaculate, does his chores and then has the resilience and strength to walk three kilometres in the rain to a school that is falling down around him.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThat was the awakening.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Tim and the foundation got to work addressing need in the village and came back to Australia to share the story.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt was heartbreaking to realise there were a lot of kids with no parents, one parent or being a child-headed household,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBut we also realised that if we could support these young people, we could change the tide of poverty very quickly because they are going to come through it as empowered adults and hopefully change things for the future.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n About $140,000 was raised in that first year and much more was to come.<\/span><\/p>\n Fast forward to today and Cotton On stores are in 19 countries which has supercharged the foundation\u2019s ability to fundraise.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve come off the back of raising $24m, we\u2019ve ticked over $130m since we started and we\u2019re now in 26 villages, not only in Uganda but in South Africa and Thailand as well,\u201d Tim says.<\/span><\/p>\n Looking back he says Run Geelong, in support of Barwon Health, was another highlight.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThat was such an important moment in our history.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAgain, it\u2019s the power of community, when everyone is on the same page and contributing it can be pretty bloody amazing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Tim says the foundation is preparing for a change of direction with an expanded focus on three pillars \u2013 equality (equal access to quality education), wellbeing in young people and the environment.<\/span><\/p>\n This new focus has already resulted in partnerships with school-focussed youth mental health program LifeChanger Foundation, as well as Strong Brother Strong Sister which mentors and empowers young Aboriginal people.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe know wellbeing is being threatened through this pandemic so we are asking ourselves what can we do here locally as well,\u201d Tim says.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s where we sought out strong partnerships not only in this area, but across Australia as well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The foundation also partnered with UNICEF to provide one million COVID vaccinations to some of the most vulnerable people in the world.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe need to be able to pivot, not focus just on remote communities and some of the most disadvantaged communities, but we also need to be able to respond to the needs of the world today,\u201d Tim says.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/09\/School2-600x380.jpg?_t=1630649723\")
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