Central Park Plunge
Chris Thomason, Lay Chaplain - Anglicare WA
At the end of October this year hundreds of people will abseil down Central Park in the city to raise funds for charity. Fifty of those daredevils will be ‘plunging’ for Anglicare WA, particularly for our youth homelessness services. One will be doing it for a very special reason.
Let me share with you the story of Bec, our General Manager of Philanthropy, who is taking part in memory of her good friend Michael. In her own words.
Some of you may have known my dear friend, Michael.
That's his happy face with me in the picture. He plunged year after year to raise money for a variety of causes and this year, I am taking the plunge in his memory.
All money that I raise goes straight to supporting Anglicare WA's youth homelessness services and goodness knows this support is needed more than ever for young Western Australians.
With more and more young people sleeping rough and unable to afford our ever-increasing housing costs, the youth homelessness landscape in WA is reaching critical levels.
Working at Anglicare WA, I see the growing waitlists for youth accommodation, and while governments are trying to boost social housing, the need for young people is urgent. They face far greater obstacles getting into the housing market – made worse if they’re dealing with complex social issues.
Through Street Connect and Foyer Oxford, Anglicare WA is leading the way in tackling youth homelessness in WA – but we need continued funding to ensure we can continue to show up for young people in need.
It only takes a minute and any money you can give (no matter how large or small) will go a long way to helping change the outlook for a young person doing it tough in WA.
I’m taking the plunge down Central Park, to help Anglicare WA lift more young people out of homelessness.
At Anglicare WA we know that to solve the issues of homelessness we need the whole community behind us.
Events like the Central Park Plunge allow people to step up and make a difference while also testing their own limits. Others can step up by supporting the brave plungers with a small donation. Both are valuable contributions that will make a real difference and allow us to continue our work with young people that need a hand.