Featured Fundraisers
Check out what some of our past fundraisers have done!
20 Strangers. 20 Days. 1 Vision for Vision.
20 Strangers, 20 Days, 20 Hello's a Day
Tahnee is stepping out of her comfort zone as she aims to meet 20 strangers a day for 20 days, during her My Vision 20:20 challenge.
Seven days into her challenge and having already raised over $1,100 for Vision Australia, we checked in with Tahnee to see how she is going…
Where did you get your Vision 20:20 challenge idea from?
I recently moved interstate and I didn’t know anyone. It’s difficult to strike up a conversation with a stranger but a simple ‘hello’ can make such a difference to someone’s day. I wanted to give people the opportunity to be heard and make them smile – while raising awareness and funds for Vision Australia at the same time.
How are you going with meeting 20 strangers each day?
At first I was pretty nervous and on day one it took me an hour to complete talking to 20 strangers. I received some support from Vision Australia and I’m improving every day in saying ‘hello’ and delivering a clear message.
Has your challenge been easier or harder than you expected?
The challenge has actually boosted my confidence and I have loved talking to others. I have had some open and raw conversations with people about their vision or their families with vision loss.
What is your involvement with Vision Australia?
I became a Digital Mentor for Vision Australia back in May, when I moved interstate. My role is to support those who are blind or have low vision to use the device of their choice and to navigate what it is they want to do online.
I started a degree in Health Science last year with the aim to transition to Occupational Therapy. I would love to train to become an Orientation and Mobility specialist with Vision Australia one day.
Is this your first time running a fundraiser and would you do something like this again?
Yes, this is my first fundraiser. After reading about the challenge in the Vision Australia volunteer newsletter I thought to myself, ‘yes, I can do this’. I have always wanted the opportunity to make a difference and it feels great. I would love to do this again in the future.
Do you have any tips for others who may want to run their own fundraiser?
Make sure you have a good set of tools to help you. Promote yourself on social media and create short videos to spread awareness and attract donations. I also created my own QR code to hand out, which links to my fundraising page, and I made a flag to attract attention.
Bright Shirt Friday
Scott's annual Bright Shirt Friday in Grafton, NSW has now raised a grand total of almost $8,500!
Scott's idea to brighten up the office during the week started in 2010. Bright Shirt Friday runs every Friday in September, October and November. The number of local businesses involved has grown and grown, all hosting coin donation tins.
Fridays in Grafton are spent in bright shirts, all in aid of Scott's vision to secure a brighter future for Australian's who are blind or have low vision.
A Doggie Date
Sandy and Amy, dedicated and amazing Seeing Eye Dogs volunteer puppy carers, organised a fundraising movie screening of the Pick of the Litter ‘dogumentary’.
Their incredible evening filled with pups and people raised $4,731 to help give the gift of independence to people who are blind or have low vision.
Nick's Island Lagoon Expedition
Imagine trekking across endless salt flats in the heat of the Australian desert. Imagine doing this on your own. Imagine doing it on your own if you were blind. Nick Gleeson has been living with blindness since he was seven years of age.
Nick navigated across 25 km of inhospitable salt flats carrying all his own supplies and equipment. He spent three days solo trekking and two nights solo camping across Island Lagoon, a salt flat area near Woomera in the South Australian desert. Nick raised $2,945 to support other Australians who are living with blindness or low vision.
