Making a change for the better

Photo by Image Play

Photo by Image Play

Our homeless have been given a lot more hope thanks to the extraordinary success of the Creating Change initiative.

Creating Change, which was designed to shift public perception and tackle the stigma associated with homelessness, saw Bayside Centre join forces with key retailers, contractors and suppliers last month to raise well over $20,000 for the Community Support Frankston charity.

The three-week campaign invited Bayside shoppers to visit ‘Creating Change Thought Pods’  in the centre, where they heard first-hand stories about what it’s like to experience homelessness while gaining valuable insight into the challenges and hardships faced by homeless people, as well as their hopes and dreams for breaking the cycle.

“The Creating Change campaign message of ‘Homeless not hopeless’ is a really important one,” said CSF manager Steve Phillips.  “Many of the people that come to CSF for help don’t identify as hopeless, and not all homeless people are sleeping rough. There are so many others in Frankston just managing to keep a roof over their heads, but who are at a breaking point.”

Throughout the campaign, customers were also encouraged to make paper cranes as a show of support for Creating Change, with Bayside agreeing to donate $1 for every crane made.   More than 750 paper cranes have been produced so far, including 100 by Frankston Primary School students along with further contributions collected at the centre’s donation point.

Peninsula businesses also rallied behind Bayside’s initiative. Hoyts’ charity screening of Snatched was sold out, with the proceeds from more than 170 ticket sales going directly to CSF. A charity lunch at McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery was also fully subscribed, with more than 80 guests hearing Telstra Women in Business Award nominee Stacey Currie talk about her own experiences of homelessness.

Photo by Image Play

Photo by Image Play

At the lunch, Vicinity Centres announced a $5000 grant to CSF for disadvantaged youth, with centre suppliers Secure Corp, Airmaster and Dot Dot Dash donating a further $5200 and $1500 respectively.

Bayside is confident the amount raised will increase even further thanks to generous pledges from several other businesses. The Frankston office of Harcourts Central Real Estate has pledged $100 from the proceeds of every house sold between May 8 and June 30.

Bayside Centre manager Gabe North-Harney said: “We are beyond pleased at the unprecedented support that our shoppers, retailers and suppliers, and indeed the broader Frankston community, has shown for this campaign.”

For further information about CSF and to find out how you can make a donation, contact Steve Phillips on 9784 1502, email [email protected] or visit http://www.frankston.net/