MEDIA RELEASE
Friday 1 April, 2022
CHO BRETT SUTTON CHARITY CALENDAR RAISES FUNDS FOR REFUGEE ORGANISATIONS
For the second year in a row, Victorians have shown their admiration for their Chief Health Officer while raising funds for two worthy charities.
The 2022 Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton Charity Calendar raised $23,953 for The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture (Foundation House), two organisations selected by Prof Sutton. The calendar featured climate change messaging from Nobel Laureate Prof Peter Doherty and Prof Sutton.
Quote attributable to CEO of Foundation House, Paris Aristotle AO
“Your gesture selecting Foundation House and the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, sees and acknowledges our collective clients and their communities and the struggles they face in their daily lives. Those struggles have been accentuated throughout this pandemic. The funds we have received as a result of your generosity will be used to provide practical support to refugee families and young people.”
Quote attributable to ASRC Community Fundraising Coordinator, Jo Gumley
“Your support enables the ASRC to provide essential services to thousands of people in need. This includes providing legal support and meeting vital needs like food, housing and basic material goods. It also enables us to provide an ear to listen when people are feeling overwhelmed and training and education to help them on the path to employment and a brighter future. Together, we are part of the movement that will shape Australia into a fairer, more compassionate, and welcoming place for people who seek safety on our shores.”
Melbourne film producer, Leanne Tonkes created the initiative which also raised over $17,500 in 2021 for Médecins Sans Frontières and The Smith Family.
The team behind the calendar met Professor Sutton at a recent private function in Melbourne.
(L-R Leanne Tonkes, Jane Wooten, Professor Brett Sutton, Natalie Stone, Arlene Marsden Southworth, Angela Livingstone)
Professor Brett Sutton and Producer Leanne Tonkes
Contact: Leanne Tonkes
leanne@senseandcentsability.com
+61 419 592 942
Founded in 2001, the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) is Australia’s largest human rights organisation providing support to people seeking asylum.
The ASRC is an independent not-for-profit organisation whose programs support and empower people seeking asylum to maximise their own physical, mental and social wellbeing.
They champion the rights of people seeking asylum and mobilise a community of compassion to create lasting social and policy change.
The ASRC movement is proudly supported by a community of committed volunteers and supporters.
Profits from the sale of this calendar will support where help is most urgently needed - this could be anything from foodbank, housing, casework, legal or health programs.
Website: asrc.org.au
Foundation House, provides services to advance the health, wellbeing and human rights of people from refugee backgrounds who have experienced torture or other traumatic events.
Established in Melbourne in 1987, Foundation House is a state-wide agency offering services in metropolitan, regional and rural areas. Offices are in Brunswick (head office), Dallas, Dandenong, Ringwood and Sunshine. Services are also provided in partnership with other agencies in rural areas throughout Victoria.
Working with thousands of clients a year, an integrated trauma recovery service model guides the organisation to:
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Provide services to clients in the form of counselling, advocacy, family support, group work and complementary therapies
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Work in partnership with client communities and the sectors they interact with
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Offer professional and organisational development
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Advocate to governments for improvements to policies and programs.
Website: foundationhouse.org.au