Latest stuff

Back to School 2012
1000 pairs of brand new school shoes
for disadvantaged Aussie kids.

Back to school is looming for many children - they are nervous and worried about going back to school. They want to fit in; they don't want to stand out.

A neat and tidy uniform, new shoes, a new lunch box with a drink bottle and a big smile are what they need to fit in - the truth is there are hundreds of thousands of Aussies that will stand out for all the wrong reasons, because they are living below the poverty line.

School lunches, reading glasses, shoes, uniforms and books are just not in the family budget.

Media has given much attention lately to the Back to School costs burdening young families. A Start in Life, with the support of St. George Foundation will deliver 1000 pairs of new school shoes to disadvantaged children across the Nation. “It's a Start” said Donna Tunbridge Communication director for A Start in Life “Next year we are aiming to raise funds for 3000 pairs of shoes”. Currently A Start in Life is supporting hundreds of young Australians with their education essentials and with the help of St. George Foundation can now supply 1000 pairs of new school shoes for the new school year.

The extra costs facing families is exhausting charities and adding to family worries. Arriving at school in a new pair of shoes instead of last year's worn out ones gives children a positive start for the year. The children receiving the shoes will be existing students in the A Start in Life programs, and students in schools that have been identified in low socio economic areas.

Fundraising Lunch – A Great Success!

Our annual fundraising event was a great success, with Jack Thompson the highlight of the afternoon reciting the Man from Snowy River, Victoria Baillie and some of our young students also kept our guests well entertained.

The event was a sell-out and the generously donated auction items and raffle raised just under $80,000 dollars. QBE foundation presented a $100,000 cheque to CEO Susan Williams to go toward the ‘adopt an aussie’ program.

A colourful group of people attended the lunch this year and stayed well on into the afternoon, the live Auction was very entertaining and extremely succesful with Andrew Morello (Celebrity Apprentice) auctioning of thin air at one stage!

New Corporate Ambassador

We are thrilled to announce our new Corporate Ambassador Mr Peter Gardiner from ANZ.

Peter has firsthand experience of a very challenging early childhood environment in Scotland and is passionate about education.

Starting full time employment aged fifteen Peter returned to part time education and was certified as a Chartered Insurance Institute of Scotland Financial Planner in 1993.

As a Co founding Director in Kudos Independent Financial Advisors in Aberdeen he enjoyed a successful career in financial services before selling his equity position to FT100 company Scottish & Southern Energy in 2000. After two years as sales director in the SSE backed financial services technology business Peter decided to take a career break and emigrated to Australia and took an equity position in the diving brand Pro Dive International here in Sydney in 2003.

The birth of his daughter Lucy in 2006 encouraged Peter to swap his wetsuit in favour of a corporate one & he was appointed as Business Development Director of Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Markets later that year. After four years in the firm Peter was appointed by ANZ Corporate Bank as the leader of new business origination in 2010 and current retains this position in addition to a role within ANZ's national growth council.

Thank You

St George Foundation donates $50k to A Start in Life.

Walk a Day in Our Shoes is a campaign designed to deliver 1,000 disadvantaged school children with a pair of compliant school shoes.

Children are missing out on classes and sporting activities simply because they don't have compliant shoes. Schools now require appropriate footwear for safety. Thousands of struggling families are unable to meet this cost and their children suffer the consequences of non attendance and not “fitting in” with their peers.

The St George Foundation will enable the supply of 1,000 pairs of shoes to these children.

With St George Foundation's help to the 'little guys' we can commence this community project for little Aussie battlers nationally.

Our new Ambassador

Mark Donlan, OAM originated from a small New South Wales country town known as Blayney prior to joining the Royal Australian Navy in 1982. He continues to serve in the Royal Australian Navy as a senior Warrant Officer within the Sydney area.

Most of his early career was spent between Canberra and Sydney, mainly related to Communication projects and professional advancement training. The last ten years have seen the focus of his career shift towards Human Resource Management and Education.

He was instrumental in the establishment of a Navy careers management agency within Sydney and more recently appointed as the Staff Officer Implementation for the Directorate Navy Leadership & Ethics. This role provides the perfect opportunity to educate and develop future Navy leaders.

Mark is a highly respected Warrant Officer in the Royal Australian Navy and was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (Military Division) for his meritorious service to Australia and the Royal Australian Navy at Government House (NSW) in 2009.

He continues to be extensively involved in supporting young Australians across a variety of charities. This support and passion has assisted in raising community awareness and much needed funds.

Mark is a very keen sportsperson; a tragic National Rugby League and Rugby Union supporter and also enjoys playing golf. He is currently appointed as the President of the Royal Australian Navy Golf Association.

We are privileged that Mark has accepted the role of Ambassador for “A Start In Life” and we look forward to his friendship and wisdom.

Support 'A Start in Life' in the 2011 City2Surf

Last year the Sun-Herald City2Surf presented by Westpac raised more than $2.8 million for charity.

A Start in Life has been fortunate enough to be a part of this exciting experience over the past few years raising funds for underprivileged young Aussies.

This year A Start in Life has a number of Gold Ticket entries available, allowing participants to line up alongside the red starting group, right behind the elite runners of the day. How exciting! Even more exciting is, long after the adrenaline of completing one of the largest fun runs in the world has worn off, you will have also contributed to helping a young Australian to reach their full potential.

Contact us today on 02 2964 3017 to be a part of this great experience, alternatively click on the City2Surf logo above to head to the Sun-Herald City2Surf presented by Westpac webpage to donate today.

Helping Rural Kids get their
Start in the Arts

A Start in Life, in collaboration with Charles Sturt
University is launching a project to introduce students
from rural and regional NSW to creative and arts-based industries, and encourage them to undertake tertiary education.

Thirty five students from the Central West and Central Tablelands will participate in 'A Start in the Arts' at the CSU School of Communication and Creative Industries in Bathurst for 4 days in April.

Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of advertising, broadcast and print journalism, radio production and video editing.

The following notable industry achievers are attending:

• Ben Welsh, Executive Creative Director, M&C Saatchi
• Justin Graham, Strategic Planning Director, Droga 5
• Chris Berents, Senior Copywriter, Droga 5
• AFI nominee Cheree Cassidy (Underbelly: The Golden Mile)
• Magdalena Roze, Reporter, The Weather Channel and 4BC QLD
• Adam Wareham, Freelance Director

These professionals are generously donating their time to workshop with these children, to inspire and mentor them in their field of expertise. They will share with the students 'who gave them their Start in Life'.

"Advertising thrives on diversity. Unfortunately most people in the industry are cut from the same metropolitan cloth. 'A Start in Life' offers opportunities for those keen and able to correct that, and find themselves in an exciting and inspirational career." Ben Welsh, ECD of M & C Saatchi

Associate Head of the CSU School of Communication and Creative Industries, Dr Peter Simmons, said "the camp is an opportunity to give regional students a glimpse into the exciting field of creative industries.

"Lecturers are also very keen to show students the high-quality creative courses and facilities available in the school."

"Students will work in the School's TV and radio studios, and also spend a day in our student advertising agency Kajulu", Dr Simmons said.

A Start in Life charity has been helping Aussie kids for over 85 years, providing disadvantaged, struggling children and their families the support that they so desperately need to have a well- rounded and fulfilling education.

"We believe creativity needs to be sought, encouraged and nurtured. We believe location should not hinder opportunity or create a barrier to entry for any talented young Australian. In conjunction with the incredible support we have received we are thrilled to be able to offer these kids this opportunity." Susan Williams, CEO, A Start in Life.

A Start in the Arts
To view a larger version of the interview,
CLICK one of the following links.
To dowload the file, RIGHT CLICK and select "Save Link as".

   High Quality .mov file (3.9MB)

   Low Quality .mov file (1.4MB)

The Great Urban Race

On Saturday 5th February over 500 participants endured the heat and competed in The Great Urban Race in a wonderful array of fancy dress costumes.

A Start in Life was the official local charity partner of the event.

For more information and to see all the photos Click HERE.

Little Pots of Aussie Sunshine

Want to host a fundraiser to help Aussie kids in your local area?
Check out our Little Pots of Aussie Sunshine Fundraising Kit

For more information Click HERE.

Levelling the Playing Field

Our 2010 Annual Fundraising Lunch "Levelling the Playing Field"
was held on Friday 26th November at Doltone House, Sydney.

A host of Great Australian Achievers including Wally Lewis, Jack Thomspon, Angela Bishop, Victoria Baillie and Sydney Youth Orchestra entertained the guests and shared their stories about who gave them their Start in Life.

We were so lucky to have the support of so many sponsors who generously contributed to the event. An extra special thank you must go to our major sponsors Westpac, Tower Estate and RM Williams.

See some photos of the event HERE.

A big congratulations and thank you to staff member Rebecca Davis and newest member of our Executive Committee, David Brennan for supporting A Start in Life by running the 2010 Sun Herald City to Surf.

It was a close competition for the running duo, with David piping Beck at the finishing line by a tiny 1 minute.

The pair raised over $500 for A Start in Life.

TV Advertising

View our latest TV ads below.

Little Pot of Aussie Sunshine
To view a larger version of the ad, CLICK one of the following links.
To dowload the file, RIGHT CLICK and select "Save Link as".

   High Quality .mov file (2.8MB)

   Low Quality .mov file (1.1MB)

Meet Aussie
To view a larger version of the ad, CLICK one of the following links.
To dowload the file, RIGHT CLICK and select "Save Link as".

   High Quality .mov file (5.7MB)

   Low Quality .mov file (1.2MB)

1 in 10 Aussie Kids Living in Poverty
To view a larger version of the ad, CLICK one of the following links.
To dowload the file, RIGHT CLICK and select "Save Link as".

   High Quality .mov file (4.5MB)

   Low Quality .mov file (2MB)