Making a Difference!

Peta Soorkia
Aug 24, 2020
3 min read

Updated: Aug 9, 2021

Imagine a daughter stolen from her home. Her siblings cry themselves to sleep. Her parents search everywhere, feeling hopeless, crazy and imaging the worst. Or imagine the friends of a young person who are unable to find that reliable friend they grew up with. It’s a mystery never solved. The flow-on effects of slavery and trafficking to not just the affected victims but their circle is too big on a global scale to comprehend. Unfortunately, trafficking is real, and millions are affected worldwide. It is far too huge a problem to address by you or me, right? But is it? Like the starfish that is thrown back, one person can make a significant difference to one starfish.

The A Woman of Influence (AWI) Gala 2018 is done and dusted. A whole year in the planning with an awesome team effort and together with generous people it has raised more than $7000 this year, and almost $30,000 since its inception five years ago, towards the A21 cause of stamping out human trafficking in the 21stcentury. Thank you to those who enjoyed a night of laughter, dancing, food, meeting new friends, silent auction bargains and more.

AWI is all about championing women locally by getting together to enjoy and encourage one another just because women are special with some fundraising to fund the gala. It’s all about being an influencer. It’s what we do best. And over the years in our Momentums we have danced for fun, had linen parties, tea parties, gone to the movies, held barbeques and more to raise funds for our yearly gala. The gala fundraises for women, kids, and men caught up in slavery, prostitution and trafficking just by being a little generous with some loose change or a bit more. We heard from A21, who flew down for the occasion, on what wonderful inroads are being made into this awful crime against humanity.

I am inspired by how Aussies give to others. I was at the scene of the recent Bourke St terrorist attack and even there, people were caring for each other to keep safe. We live in an amazing country with good people mainly.

This year we had some men at our gala because men want to know what they can do to help. One guy wrote a most touching card for a rescued person, encouraging them to keep on going and assuring them that we are right behind them. It was such a moving sentiment.

Do you have a little spare time, and would you like to make a difference? Well we really need help. Our team work hard and as we grow, we need helpers. We are all volunteers trying to do a little bit to make others’ lives better

joining together with others. You are influential. Will you use your strengths or abilities in any area of ability to help? We need you right now. It takes an hour or two, here or there, in admin, sourcing silent auction items, thank you letters to the contributors. And next year our team needs helpers in food, finding a new venue (we’ve outgrown the Transformation Centre in Newport) plus other jobs coming up to our gala in November.

If your heart is being touched right now, please contact us at awi4a21@gmail.com today!

Why?

Because together you and I CAN make a difference.