GEELONG Mums has broken through all expectations for its Giving Day fundraiser and thanked the community for contributing towards the huge final total.<\/p>\n
The not-for-profits third Giving Day was held on Wednesday last week rising just over $363,000 with all financial donations as part of the event quadrupled by generous matchers to help vulnerable families.<\/p>\n
The influx of funds will mean thousands of babies and children will be provided with safe cots, prams, car seats, clothing and other essential items.<\/p>\n
“It’s unbelievable,” Geelong Mums general manager Julia Roache said.<\/p>\n
“Our target was $280,000, so we’ve smashed it, and we’ve smashed it because of the wonderful generosity of the community; it was amazing. We’re overwhelmed.<\/p>\n
“We’re so busy doing our jobs, day in day out, that you have this feeling that the community supports you and wants you to do well, but it’s only when you stop that you see the kind of contribution that they made, and the generosity.”<\/p>\n
The Giving Day website had some suggested dollar amounts for people to give with an explanation of how the money would be used \u2013 for example, $56 will keep a baby cosy and warm this winter with a bundle of clothing to last them a year, and $187 will buy a new mattress – but many people went much further, making individual donations in the high three figures, and into four figures in some cases.<\/p>\n
“We’ve had some unbelievable donations from organisations and individuals,” Ms Roache said.<\/p>\n
“It’s really lovely to know that a lot of donations that are in there are from people who have never donated to Geelong Mums before \u2013 they’ve either only just heard about us or seen us recently \u2013 which is fantastic.<\/p>\n
“There’s some anonymous donations, and that’s completely understandable, because some people don’t like publicising their giving and how they support charities around the place.”<\/p>\n