This year we are proud to be celebrating 14 years since the establishment of the ARA Endowment Fund. The ARA Endowment Gala Event was held on the 20th of October at the Ivy Ballroom in Sydney. The Gala Event generated donations of approximately $450,000. The principal balance in the ARA Endowment Fund is now almost $3.5 million. The principal balance in the ARA Endowment Fund remains in the Fund in perpetuity whilst the income earned by the Fund is donated to our Partner Foundations:
- GO Foundation
- Indigenous Literacy Foundation
- David Lynch Foundation
During the night, we heard form guest speakers from each Foundation. The evening included a three-course dinner and a live and silent auction. The live auction was for the following items:
- Dani Di Fransesco’s 2022 National Road series Championship bike
- A paid for platinum twin cabin Ghan holiday
- A 2023 Hyundai Venue worth 26k driveaway
- Dinner for six with Thomas Keneally at the Bennelong restaurant
GO Foundation
The Goodes O’Loughlin Foundation (GO Foundation) is an Aboriginal-led and governed organisation founded by former Sydney Swans greats Michael O’Loughlin and Adam Goodes. Now in their 14th year, GO have awarded over 1290 education scholarships for primary, secondary, and tertiary students in Sydney, Adelaide, and Canberra.
The GO’s scholarship team work with education providers, families, and carers to provide high-level pastoral and culturally appropriate support to students. The Foundations goal is to build aspiration, inspiration, resilience, and confidence and to support students so they can achieve their dreams, whatever they may be.
Indigenous Literacy Foundation
The Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) is a national charity of the Australian Book Industry, working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander remote Communities across Australia. The Foundation is community-led, responding to requests from remote Communities for culturally relevant books, including early learning board books, resources, and programs to support Communities to create and publish their stories in languages of their choice.
This year is the second year of UNESCO’s Decade of Indigenous Languages, which emphasises Indigenous peoples’ rights to freedom of expression, to an education in their mother tongue, and to participate in public life using their languages, as prerequisites for survival of Indigenous languages.
David Lynch Foundation
The David Lynch Foundation was established in Australia in 2017 and we are already running successful programs for victims of domestic violence, at-risk youth and people suffering from PTSD to help them heal, achieve and flourish.
The David Lynch Foundation is helping break the cycle of abuse and dysfunction among disadvantaged and at-risk populations through the evidence based Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique. Over 600 peer-reviewed major international scientific studies bear witness to the benefits of TM in reducing stress and improving emotional, physical and mental health.
