We are a registered and incorporated charity with a mission to assist victims of domestic violence in ways that are currently not supported or are difficult to fund through traditional channels. In 2012 the staff at the Mercure Hotel in Wagga Wagga commenced a Christmas gift collection for the children of Domestic Violence victims in refuges across Wagga Wagga. Each year we have grown that effort
to now include other businesses by placing a Christmas tree in their customer area and asking their consumers to donate. Last year, 2016 was our best year to date and we will continue to grow this part of our charity work to include Easter and Mothers Day for 2017. Early this year, 2016, the organisers of the Christmas charity decided that we could do more than just Christmas gifts and decided to create and register a charity for the express purpose of helping victims of domestic and family violence in Wagga Wagga and the local region. We have determined that our role is one of raising community awareness and fund raising and that our available funds should be directed to try and fill gaps in the current system. We hope to identify those gaps by communicating with agency’s providing services in this sector and when appropriate and available, provide funds. By liaising with local police and schools we are also identifying opportunities to bring domestic violence education programs to young people in our community. The main beneficiary of the funds raised by us will be victims of domestic violence through unique initiatives and through not for profit organisations providing support for victims of domestic or family violence, namely single women, women with children and youths. Our vision is to support local refuges by providing them with funds for much needed items such as their situation requires and that are unobtainable through their normal funding channels. We are also building a bank of funds for the express purpose of emergency relief to victims of family violence to help them avoid returning to a violent situation. The funds will be available on short notice and provide for travel, food or clothing vouchers, mobile phones or other items as deemed urgent by the requesting service, providing that they are unable to obtain those funds through their own agency, or, that a time delay in providing those funds means that a woman would return to a volatile situation.
