Sunday 9 May 2010

2010 Youth Mentoring trivia fundraiser rakes in $5,000

Less than a year after the Federal government stopped funding the Cairns Youth Mentoring, the scheme, just over $5,000 was raised at their trivia fundraiser.

QUIZ MASTER: [Photo right] Jayne Johnston commands the crowd at last night's Youth Mentoring Trivia Night.

MP Jm Turnour said in October last year that the funding will be used for other programmes to keep children at school. "The Labor government is reprioritising funding for education and young people at risk," Turnour said last year.

The Scheme, now managed by an community incorporated association, is seeking financial support to restart it's mentoring programme.

"We need around $50,000 a year to professionally run the programme," president Damian Zammit says. "The trivia fundraiser we held last night at the Reef Hotel Casino hotel, was a huge success and the level of support from those that turned up, and dug deep, shows that Cairns wants this service to continue."

The organisers and their helpers wore bunny ears in the spirit of the night, and 65 Cairns businesses and individuals donated prizes to the value of $10,000.
FUN BUNNIES: [Photo right] Damain Zammit, Jenelle Dillon, Tanya Brooks-Cooper help raise $5,000.
"Peri Jones who runs Ocean Free donated an $1,100 reef and dive trip on the spot, and we auctioned this off," Damian Zammit said. "The Cairns business community have been so supportive. We're over-whelmed."
The organisation, that has been active for ten years, and is still pursuing government funding options, which ceased June last year from the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Concerns were first raised in February last year that the government may not renew support for the programme, yet no local MP intervened. Two weeks ago, Federal MP Jim Turnour met with the new voluntary management committee, to engage in a way forward.

The fundraiser last evening was completely sold out in advance. Over 300 attended the event.
Team Sasser, from City of Cairns and Precedence, an internet marketing company, took out the top prize for the second year in a row.
TWO TIMERS: [Photo right] Kaj and Nicky's team Sasser, from City of Cairns / Precedence show off by winning for the second year in a row.
"We're over the moon that our team won the Cairns Youth Mentoring trivia night two years in a row," Nicky Jurd said. "Thanks everyone! It was a great night."
Jurd and her company has been a supporter of the youth mentoring programme for many years, and manages the Association's website and internet services.
"We're all really proud to be involved in this programme, and would encourage others to to do the same," Nicky Jurd says.
Single mother of two teenage boys Jenelle Dillon has also joined the cause to keep the programme alive. Her 14-year-old son Anthony has been involved in the Cairns Youth Mentoring Scheme for over a year and says it has been a stunning success.
"Anthony's life has changed and his behaviour is nothing like it was," Jenelle says. "Since he's had a mentor, he is better with attending school and even talks about getting a job."
Jenelle Dillon knew very early on that something wasn't right with her son, and eventually had him diagnosed with autism, a disorder of neural development, often displayed by poor social interaction and communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviour. Extreme outcomes can be violent and aggressive behaviour, something Jenelle has had to cope with as a single mum for years.
"The Youth Mentoring programme has been a saviour," she says.

LAST, BUT NOT LEAST: The winners of the wooden spoons, were still happy.

More photos on Facebook.
FULL LIST OF SPONSORS:
AJ Hackett, Andrew Griffiths, At Ease Natural Therapies, Atlas projects, AutoBarn, Barbeques Galore, Big Cat and Green Island Cruises, Bob Jane T-Marts Cairns, Bronzed bootys, Cable Ski, Cairns Family and Cosmetic Dental Group, Cairns Go Kart Hire, CairnsBlog.net, Cairns Colonial Club Resort, Centrecare Cairns, Chris Forsberg, City of Cairns / Precedence, Conceptual Design, Cr Linda Cooper, Cr Di Forsyth, Cr Robert Pyne, Dan Murphys, Desmond Zwar, Direct Employment Services, Dunwoodys, Essential Gifts, Eve Prince - Civil Celebrant, Flexible Learning Centre, FNQ Volunteers, Former Origin Greats, Fuglies Sunglasses, Gilligan's Backpacker's Hotel and Resort, Go Bowling Cairns, Haba Dive, Half Moon Bay Golf Club, Hartleys Creek crocodile, Holy Sheet Smithfield, IGA Charity Association, It's All Good Garden Maintenance, Jason Obrien MP, Jasse Walton, Jayne Johnston, Nicky Harris, Jim Turnour MP, John Robinson, Jungle Surfing, Just Purple new media, Kinchrome, Knoff Yoga, Kuranda Scenic Railway, Lions Club of Cairns, Low Price Cosmetics, Maximum Exposure Sales and Marketing, Paradise Palms, Paronella Park, Quicksilver, Reef Hotel Casino, Ocean Free, Regional Tourism Information Centre, R'n'R Adventures, Sam Powers Xtreme Illusions, Scott Andrews, Senator Jan McLucas, Shangri L, Hotel, Sky Rail, Smithfield Shopping Centre, Steve Wettenhall MP, Stockland Shopping Centre, Tax Smart, TFS Financial Planning, Thala Beach Resort, The Cozy Shack, The Lakes Resort, The Woolshed Bar & Grill, Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park, Tropical Journeys / Calyspo Dive & Snorkel, Wendy Richardson, Woree Tavern, and 312 people that turned up for the 2010 Trivia Night!

2 comments:

JKR said...

Louise and I had a great time on our table. Well done to the CYMS team.

Donna Mahoney said...

Congraulations to the management committee for a great night. How great for the kids in Cairns to have such amazing people like you all going in to bat for them.