JOIN the Whitsundays’ Dancing CEOs for a fabulous fundraiser with a Christmas theme, next Friday.
Dancing CEOs is the flagship fundraising initiative of the Women’s Legal Service Queensland (WLSQ), which runs a Statewide Helpline for women impacted by domestic violence.
Next May, 19 CEOs – including ‘Team Whitsundays’ – will compete in a dance contest, at Brisbane City Hall.
The Whitsundays’ Dancing CEOs first fundraiser is a ‘Christmas Cocktails for a Cause’ event, at the Garden Bar, Airlie Beach, on Friday, December 6.
The ladies-only event runs from 12.30pm to 5pm and Whitsunday women are invited to come together and meet the ladies, whose quest is to break the cycle of domestic violence in our communities.
Guests will enjoy a fabulous selection of shared platters, canapes, dessert and cheese plates, and a complimentary welcome drink on arrival, complete with live music and dancing, courtesy of ‘Josiah’.
Dress code is feel-good party-wear, with a bottle of champagne up for grabs for the ‘best dressed’, sponsored by Taste Whitsundays.
Cash is essential for lucky door prizes and raffles, including on-the-spot raffles for a range of feminine-inspired hampers.
The final drawing of the ‘Summer Beach Raffle’ – comprising a four-night stay at The Beach House, in Hydeaway Bay, two nights at the Tropical Beach Caravan Park, in Bowen, and an ‘Ultimate Beach Fun Package’ valued at $250 – will also take place.
Tickets cost $99 and are available online at: https://www.mygivingtable.com.au/event-details/christmas-cocktails-for-a-cause.
To buy ‘Summer Beach Raffle’ tickets in advance, drop into The Fat Frog, Espresso & Bloom, Taste Whitsundays or Whitsunday Family Dental. Tickets cost $5 each, three for $10, or 10 for $20.
For more information and to stay up to date with all local fundraising news, follow the ‘Team Whitsundays Dancing CEOs’ Facebook page.
About ‘Team Whitsundays’
When Coral Sea Marina CEO, Kate Purdie, was first approached to donate a prize for the Women’s Legal Service Queensland (WLSQ) ‘Jet Raffle’ back in 2021, she sat down at her desk to watch a video about the organisation’s work and cried.
“While I’ve been fortunate enough to never experience domestic or family violence myself, I could relate to the woman in the video,” she said.
“My late husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer when I was 36 years old, sitting next to him, holding our newborn son in my lap, so I know what it is like to be in a situation where you have no control over what is happening to you and your family; to feel utterly terrified; to put on a brave face and pretend everything is okay when nothing is; to lose everything you have worked so hard for, including your family, and have to start all over again.”
Fast-forward to 2024 and accepting an invitation to become one of WLSQ’s flagship fundraising ‘Dancing CEOs’ was an easy decision to make.
“There are things in life that simply cannot be stopped, and terminal cancer is one of them, but domestic violence is not, so after seeing that video I couldn’t say ‘no’,” Ms Purdie said.
“If, by doing this, I can help even just one mum from ever feeling the way I did, I will, and I hope that through ‘Dancing CEOs’, together we can make an even bigger difference than that.”
Joining Ms Purdie in making that difference are fellow ‘Team Whitsundays’ Dancing CEOs Candice Crossley (Whitsunday Transit), Alice Harriott (Whitsunday Family Dental), Julie Telford (SeaLink Whitsundays), and their mentor, three-time former Dancing CEO and WLSQ Ambassador, Katelyn Aslett-Collins (Taste Whitsundays).
For Candice Crossley, the motivation is “giving back”.
“Particularly to women and children, with whom as a former teacher, and part of a company which transports 2,000 children to school each day, I have a deep affinity – made even more poignant by knowing that of all the women experiencing domestic violence, 75 per cent have children in their care,” she said.
For Julie Telford it’s about women helping other women.
“I share WLSQ’s core values of care, respect, inclusivity, accountability and collaboration, and I want us to create a safer future for women and children, where everyone can live free from violence and discrimination and where a woman can tell her story without judgement or fear,” she said.
For Alice Harriott, it’s about safeguarding the next generation.
“I am a mother of four daughters, and I pray they may never need such a service, so I am dancing – and raising awareness and funds – so that one day, no-one else has to,” Dr Harriott said.
Despite the seriousness of their coming together, these women behind ‘Team Whitsundays’ are determined to carry a spirit of optimism and hope across their dancing and fundraising campaign.
In the 2023 Financial Year, the WLSQ Statewide Helpline answered 16,000 calls from women impacted by domestic violence.
This year, that number has increased by 28 per cent.
Useful phone numbers:
1800 WLS WLS (1800 957 957) the statewide helpline for legal advice
1800 457 117 for the Rural, Regional and Remote Legal Advice Line
DV Connect: 1800 811 811
1800 RESPECT: 1800 737 732.
