Dress Up For A Good Cause
The first Awards & Gala for Women’s Refuge Services in the region will take place this month. It will raise funds and awareness for The Women’s Refuge and Central-Lakes Family Services. The event’s organiser, Julia Strelou , hopes the evening will play a part in reducing violence in the area with funds going towards building a safe house in Queenstown.
The event has been a long time in the making due to Covid-related delays. It is reported that one in three New Zealand women have suffered domestic violence, and currently in Queenstown, there is no safe house for anyone who has experienced this. Julia hopes to make this an annual event to raise funds for the region, and says that she was nervous to first approach the Women’s Refuge as she wasn’t sure if she could pull this off, but she’s actually been amazed by the support.
“The community has been so supportive, from the awards sponsors, to other sponsors coming on board after the award sponsor positions were filled, and then getting things for the charity auction. I’ve received over 25 items all up between the silent auction and the live auction – that’s quite a few items to sell.
“I’ve just had women coming out of the woodwork, really to say ‘this event is so amazing, I want to support it.’ Whether that’s been offering to do charity work, offering to speak, offering to be a sponsor, or just saying ‘I’m going to come along,’ and that’s really meaningful to me,” says Julia.
Some of the charity auction experiences include accommodation in local hotels, spa treatments, ski passes, a round of golf, jetboat rides, and artworks. Anything that doesn’t sell on the night will be sold online with the proceeds going to the charity. There’s also an awards portion of the night with four categories; inspirational, entrepreneurial, community recognition, and resilience. Two of the many inspirational nominees are Cassandra Treadwell , founder of So They Can, an international not-for-profit that focuses on educating children living in East Africa, and Pauline Blomfield, who has developed K9 Medical Detection, where they are training dogs to detect cancer as early as possible.
“The idea is to raise up and celebrate the female leaders and changemakers in our region. When we opened the awards nominations, I got maybe 50 nominations and the calibre of them was really high. I was blown away by how many amazing females we have in our region, and also just how humble and grateful the finalists are – they’re all so humble about their achievements and they’re all so grateful for this event and the platform that it offers. Empowering women and stopping domestic violence go hand-in-hand, so it’s. a nice synergy between the awards and the event.”
The gala will take place atop the picturesque Skyline Gondola and will include awards, auctions and speakers. Purchasing a table for your company is a great way to support the region and have a nice night out – a limited number of tables are still available for purchase in addition to single tickets. If you’re unable to attend, you can donate at givealittle.co.nz/cause/raising-funds-for-otago-family-violence-services – the donations made here will go directly to the Otago chapter of the Women’s Refuge and support our region.
The Awards & Gala for Women’s Refuge Services will take place on the 19th of November. If you’d like to get involved or pick up a last-minute ticket for what is sure to be an inspirational and engaging night, head to queenstownwomensrefugegala.co.nz
- Inspirational Women Award: Casandra Treadwell, founder of So They Can, Debbi Swain-Rewi, director of Engage Safety, Olivia Wensley, CEO of Startup Queenstown Lakes.
- Entrepreneurial Women Award: Lisa Leftley, who established the Pivotal Point Charitable Trust, Pauline Blomfield, creator of K9 Medical Detection, Victoria Keating, co-owner and director of xtravel.
- Community Recognition Award: Hana Halalele, registered social worker and manager for the Oamaru Pacific Island Community Group, Luana Karina De Aguiar Goncalves, founder of Brasileiros Em Queenstown, Bex Sarginson, co-founder of Wanaka’s charitable trust, Food for Love.
- Resilience Award: Juanita Willems, coordinator for Foster Hope Otago, Mel Haarer, who started Connect and Care, Tanya Bottomley, speaker and founder of WildHer.
- Highly Commended: Olivia Egerton for guiding the complex construction of Te Atamira, Sarah Millwater, founder of Hawea Youth Club, Janice Jones, volunteer at the Central Otago Pony Club, Ira Mitchell, an artist who donates money to local communities through the sales of her artworks and also volunteers for the community.
