Nelson Alexander Foundation Day 2021

For all Real Estate matters please visit www.jameslabiris.com

Nelson Alexander’s Foundation Day is almost here again!

We are proud to announce that it will be held on Saturday 29th May 2021.

What is Foundation Day?

Foundation Day is special to Nelson Alexander as it's the day we give back to our local community.

It’s on this day that each of our sixteen offices donates the professional fee from one of their auctions to support a community organisation or charity.

Foundation Day is a direct response to our Foundation’s focus on supporting youth, education and the alleviation of disadvantage.

How did Foundation Day start?

Our connection with our local communities runs deep within our culture, and we are proactive in delivering meaningful responses to the needs of worthwhile causes through the Nelson Alexander Charitable Foundation.

The Nelson Alexander Charitable Foundation was established in 2005 to provide a platform for staff participation in community service and since its inception, we have raised and distributed over $3.5 million dollars, an amount we are proud to increase every year.

Ascot Vale Free Little Pantry

Office: Ascot Vale

Auction Property: To be confirmed

The Ascot Vale Little Free Pantry is a grassroots community-led initiative that addresses food insecurity. It operates on the principle of 'take what you need - give what you can'.

Along with addressing food insecurity in the local neighbourhood, the pantry provides a place where community connections are made.

When needed, the pantry has provided anonymity, is judgment-free, a place where personal choice is allowed and a place to help neighbours in need.

LifeChanger Foundation

Office: Brunswick

Auction Property: To be confirmed

LifeChanger's mission is to empower young people by providing the resources, skills, education and pathway they need to develop a positive self-identity, self-awareness and resilience.

The challenges young people face today are unprecedented and confronting. The statistics are alarming. Mental health, anxiety, bullying, obesity, self-harm, drug and alcohol abuse and addiction present a challenging landscape for all families.

LifeChanger offers a pre-emptive program that engages with youth, teachers, parents and local mentors, connecting them to help build a sustainable village of support.

The Royal Melbourne Hospital Foundation

Office: Carlton North Office

Auction Property: To be confirmed

Enhancing patient experience and care within the Royal Melbourne Hospital Emergency Department via replacing all waiting room seating.

The Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) is recognised internationally as a powerhouse in clinical care, medical research and teaching excellence.

As one of the busiest Emergency Departments in Australia, where on average 80,000 patients are treated each year, there is an urgent need to respond to patient health and safety within the waiting area, no longer fit for purpose.

The current seating in the waiting area was installed in 2009, and due to wear and tear, the Hospital Foundation submitted an application to secure funding to replace all seating.

Coburg Lions FIDA Football Club

Office: Coburg Office

Auction Property: To be confirmed

Coburg Fida has supported people with an intellectual disability to play Australian rules footy for over ten years. The Club applied for funding to allow them to grow and include more young people.

The funding will assist them with uniforms, equipment, player registration fees, transportation and giving players more significant opportunities to share their skills and experiences with other teams. It will also allow higher functioning players to represent their state in the Inclusion Carnival.

Bluearth Foundation

Office: Commercial Office

Auction Property: To be confirmed

Bluearth aspires to give children the chance to live their best lives. Their mission is to help Australians live better and live longer by making moving with competence and confidence a part of everyday life.

Schools are the ideal setting for this intervention; Bluearth's 'Active Schools' program effectively increases children's physical activity levels and is evidence-based to benefit children's academic outcomes and health and wellbeing. Their program focuses on physical literacy and consists of physical activity, mindfulness, and reflection activities.

Dogs for Kids with Disabilities

Office: Docklands Office

Auction Property: To be confirmed

The mission of Dogs for Kids with Disabilities is to provide Assistance and Therapy dogs for children. By empowering children and their families, they promote inclusion, break down social barriers, realise a child's potential, and foster wellbeing, love, and friendship.

Blind Sports & Recreation Victoria

Office: Essendon Office

Auction Property: To be confirmed

Blind Sports & Recreation Victoria (BSRV) provides opportunities for blind or vision impaired people to lead active lifestyles through sport and recreation.

Supporting people with vision loss of all ages, cultural backgrounds, religions and genders, their mission is to:

* reduce the social isolation that people who are blind or vision impaired can experience due to the nature of their disability

* improve health and wellbeing of people with vision loss

* increase confidence and independence through increasing community involvement.

We are supporting two specific activity programmes:

• Blind Judo in Strathmore Heights
• Trampolining at Bounce in Essendon Fields

Centre For Projection Art

Office: Fitzroy Office

Auction Property: To be confirmed

Founded in Yarra in 2008, the Centre for Projection Art is an independent, community-based arts organisation dedicated to the development and presentation of contemporary projection and operate from the Collingwood Yards arts precinct.

We are supporting the INTERSTELLAR SUPERHEROES project. The project that will be run as a free after school activity from The Cubbies provides a unique platform for the Atherton Gardens Housing Estate children to engage with their peers and create a large-scale public artwork to share with their community.

The aim is to foster a sense of ownership for these children and their families and provide a connection to the broader community through the Gertrude Street Projection Festival, and what better way to do this than to project these children's artworks as animations onto their home, the public housing estate on the Napier and Gertrude Street corner.

Kensington/Flemington branch of the Melbourne Community Toy Library

Office: Flemington Office

Auction Property: To be confirmed

The Toy Library has been part of the Kensington/Flemington area for the past 20 years operating from the YMCA in Kensington. The Toy Library is like a book library providing toys to many families living in the area and is a beneficial resource for those living in flats with limited space to store toys.

The Toy Library needs to relocate due to renovations at the YMCA, and with approximately 1000 toys to move, the library applied for funding to buy new storage shelves.

Austin Health Foundation

Office: Ivanhoe Office

Auction Property: To be confirmed

Austin Health's Child & Youth Mental Health Service (CYMHS) is a state-wide service that provides comprehensive care and treatment to some of Victoria's most vulnerable children aged 0 – 13 years, experiencing psychiatric, psychological, and behavioural problems.

They provide mental health care in hospital for over 300 children and young people each year who are experiencing severe mental health episodes. Their services assist children and young people with support by providing a mental health assessment, early intervention and intensive inpatient treatment within a safe environment to support and promote a better health trajectory.

The Austin Health Foundation applied for funding to support the improvement in the clinical environment to create a safe, calming space to achieve positive outcomes for the children seeking treatment.

Children's Cancer Foundation

Office: Keilor East Office

Auction Property: To be confirmed

The Children's Cancer Foundation supports game-changing cancer research projects aiming to eliminate children's cancer while ensuring children in hospitals have access to the best possible and latest proven treatments.

Funding generated via Foundation Day will be directed to brain cancer research in memory of Marcus Rosin.

Koala Kids

Office: Kew Office

Auction Property: To be confirmed

Koala Kids is a volunteer-driven organisation that provides small things that make a difference for children and young people during cancer treatment, including their families and healthcare team.

They aim to touch more than 520 young people from birth to 25 years diagnosed each year and more than 1,500 that remain in long term treatment by providing them with happy moments to distract them from the pain and boredom associated with cancer treatment.

Guide Dogs Victoria

Office: Northcote Office

Auction Property: To be confirmed

Each year, Guide Dogs Victoria matches talented Guide Dogs with people living with blindness or low vision. Guide Dogs create profound change for people with low vision or blindness by offering a perfect blend of independence and companionship.

They offer independence through safety and travel techniques learned in the intensive Guide Dog training program. They offer companionship and confidence through the powerful bond shared with the person they are matched with.

Funding will be used to equip qualified Guide Dogs with the necessary items to begin their working life.

North West Multiple Births Club

Office: Pascoe Vale Office

Auction Property: To be confirmed

North West Multiple Births Club supports parents of multiples, twins, triplets and quads in the North West region of Melbourne. The Club is operated by a group of volunteers who are parents of multiples themselves. They provide support through social gatherings, playgroups and resources such as a book library. They also offer a helping hand with meal drops in the first challenging weeks (or months!), provide support via counselling, and provide courses targeted at specific topics such as post-natal mental health and sleep settling.

Foundation Day financial support will go a long way towards buying resources for their playgroups, provide online courses, and allow them to host social gatherings.

Preston High School

Office: Preston Office

Auction Property: To be confirmed

Foundation Day will generate funds to support six year 9 students representing Preston High School at the Schools for Student Leadership (SSL). As part of this program, students attend a 9-week intensive leadership school to develop skills required to lead and inspire their community.

The students are planning a Community Learning Project (CLP) to address transport and the environment in the local community. They want to focus on strategies that improve the quality of bike paths and encourage community members to consider environmentally friendly alternative ways to travel. The students will continue to develop their ideas and strategies while attending the nine-week leadership program.

Reservoir East Primary School – Community Garden

Office: Reservoir Office

Auction Property: To be confirmed

In 2019 a community garden was established on the grounds of Reservoir East Primary School. Working with teachers, parents and residents, they have established a small productive kitchen garden for the school children to learn about food production and garden skills.

They are now adding to this a pollination garden and a fruit orchard. They will use our funding to construct an outdoor learning space, including a sheltered area with decking, bench seats, and sinks.

For all Real Estate matters please visit www.jameslabiris.com