AccorHotels plans fundraising event for Mission Australia on Gold Coast
AccorHotels has teamed up with Mission Australia again in 2015 to host the fourth Race to Survive event: Kokoda Trail aiming to raise $450,000 for Mission Australia to support their work reducing homelessness and its causes.
The Gold Coast hinterlands have been chosen as the location to host the event, with the Kokoda Trail theme coinciding with the ANZAC legend centenary celebrated in 2015.
Held over three days from 14-16 October 2015, over 40 teams of four people across Australia will gather to raise money and compete in the ultimate challenge of stamina, strength, speed and strategy.
The community is encouraged to support the teams as they make their way through parts of the arduous Kokoda Trail course, which involves going cross-country over 25km of bushland and camping overnight.
Each team is aiming to raise at least $15,000 for Mission Australia to directly benefit Mission Australia services. This includes:
- Missionbeat, which patrols inner Sydney streets seeking out those in distress and offering them support.
- Charcoal Lane, an innovative social enterprise in Melbourne which combines a restaurant with a comprehensive training program for young people who have experienced barriers to employment.
AccorHotels has said it will also donate 10% of the total funds raised to the Kokoda Youth Foundation – an organisation which supports young people by breaking cycles of welfare dependency, addressing mental health issues, advocating suicide prevention and supporting the values of courage, endurance, sacrifice and mateship.
“Our hotels are proud to have strong connections with their local communities and each year we are overwhelmed by the number of AccorHotels employees that are inspired to participate to improve the lives of others who are less fortunate” said Simon McGrath, Chief Operating Officer of AccorHotels Pacific.
“With the ANZAC centenary being celebrated this year, it was a natural choice to go with the theme of the Kokoda Trail for Race to Survive. What better way to salute the time honoured tradition of the ANZACs than to recreate the Kokoda Trail and give the competitors a taste of what the Kokoda Trail might have been like for our Diggers during WW2.”
Mission Australia CEO, Catherine Yeomans said: “We are delighted that AccorHotels is once again supporting the work we do through Race to Survive.
“At Mission Australia we want to see a fairer Australia, one that helps people in need to regain their independence when they fall on hard times.
“We believe that through the right support, training and investment we can give people in poverty the right support to turn their lives around.”
Gold Coast residents can support Race to Survive: Kokoda Trail by making a tax deductible donation online at www.gofundraise.com.au
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