Beaumont People raise over $12,000 for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
On Wednesday, 14 November 2018, World Diabetes Day, we hosted our annual Trivia & Silent Auction Fundraiser, raising $12,871 for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) - our most successful to date.
Since forming in 2001, the vision for Beaumont People has always extended beyond our core service offering. We are big believers in contribution and have actively looked for ways to support the industries and communities in which we are involved, using our capabilities to help those less fortunate than ourselves.
In 2009, the Beaumont People Charity division was established offering low recruitment rates to Australian Charities. Since then we are proud to have saved more than 280 charities over $18 million, compared to the equivalent commercial recruitment spend.
In addition, we provide complimentary training and development seminars and workshops to the sector, access to Leadership development opportunities, pro bono career and job searching guidance via St Vincent De Paul, charitable donations to a range of charities instead of spending money on Christmas gifts and cards, and all our staff have 3 volunteer days per year which they are encouraged to take.
We also run an annual trivia night fundraiser, which has raised in excess of $40,000 in previous years supporting poverty in Australia through Vinnies and the CEO Sleepout, as well as food rescue and food lifeline services through a grassroots charity, Liberation Larder, based in Byron Bay.
In March, the sudden diagnoses of Type 1 Diabetes for my son, Callum, would see us supporting JDRF in 2018.After having been sick for approximately 6 weeks, initial thoughts of a normal virus were quickly dismissed as Callum rapidly went downhill. Come the day he was rushed to hospital, he had lost a quarter of his body weight, was dehydrated despite drinking gallons of water and had dangerously high ketone levels, suffering from Ketoacidosis - a potentially life-threatening condition.
We soon learnt that this all occurs when then body cannot gain the energy it needs from food. This is because his pancreas now fails to produce insulin, the hormone the body needs to release food’s energy. Not to be confused with Type 2 Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is lifelong and irreversible.
During a personally traumatic time for my family and I, I was overwhelmed to learn that our team had chosen to dedicate this year’s trivia event to JDRF.I have seen firsthand the difference much needed funds make to the many families navigating this disease. We had been given a JDRF backpack full of resources on our first day in hospital, including an especially-made teddy bear with areas for injecting, so Callum could practice the life-saving injections he would now have to undertake for the rest of his life. Those resources were invaluable to us, as is the peer support person we have been allocated via JDRF to help us. More importantly, the research that JDRF funds, and contributes to, works towards treating and preventing T1D in people of all ages.
It was a privilege to be able to bring together our business community, friends and family to support such a worthy cause, despite being so close to me personally. I wish to acknowledge HLB Mann Judd Sydney for providing us the space to host the evening, as well as all the individuals and businesses who contributed dearly to our silent auction and raffle – alone contributing to over $7,000 in donations raised on the night. A huge thank you to the many who attended the evening in good spirit, determined as much as we were to reach our goal.
We exceeded our ambitious goal of $12,000 for which we are extremely proud. But above all, it has been particularly special for me, being reminded of how fortunate I am to work for and represent, an organisation like Beaumont People, who have contribution at the core of what they do.