A Little Ray of Giving brings thousands of gifts

Tens of thousands of gifts have been donated locally to less fortunate children thanks to a partnership between Ray White offices across Australia and New Zealand and their local Rotary Clubs.

The Christmas initiative is run throughout December each year and community members are encouraged to wrap and deliver gifts to their local Ray White office.

The gifts are then collected and distributed by the partnering Rotary Club to appropriate individuals and organisations. This is the second annual “A Little Ray of Giving” campaign.

The localised nature of the gift drive allows local organisations Rotary and Ray White to pick a suitable benefactor in their community. It’s all about local giveback at an important time of year.

Across New Zealand, offices in Kumeu, Waiheke Island, Hornby, Hamilton, Ponsonby and many more across the nation participated.

In South Australia, Ray White Keatley in Mount Gambier supported the Mayor’s Christmas Appeal and collected gifts for ac.care while Ray White Gawler teamed up with the Rotary Club of Barossa and aspired to top their 2012 gift drive where $8500 worth of goods and vouchers were donated by businesses and locals. Ray White Plympton and the Rotary Club of Holdfast Bay collected gifts for children in the south-western suburbs and Ray White Waikerie publicly encouraged the community to consider gifts for mums facing hardship too.

In New South Wales Ray White Wetherill Park teamed up with the local Rotary Club to collect gifts for Blue Mountains bushfire victims. Emma Biasetto, the local coordinator, hand painted the gift paper and managed the program locally. Emma’s personal touch really made a difference. As June Bragg of the Rotary Club of Wetherill Park wrote to the business principal, “I just wanted to say what a delightful young woman Emma is and what a wonderful job she did collecting all the gifts and then personally wrapping etc each one of them. They looked terrific. I am sure that the many children and families who will benefit from her hard work will truly appreciate all the effort she went to.”

Also in New South Wales, Ray White Rural in Murwillumbah had 44 gifts donated by locals. Ray White Dapto donated over 150 gifts to the Salvation Army. The Double Bay office had 85 gifts donates and Gerringong on the South Coast doubled their gift intake from 2012 to 2013 - this year distributing 122 gifts. Rural offices, Ray White Temora and Ray White Rural Murwillumbah, distributed 108 and 53 gifts locally, respectively. Ray White Menai totalled 64.

Menai’s Matt Debreczeni said it was a fantastic initiative. “Great to be a part of and see all these gifts coming in. Wish we could see these kids faces!”

In Victoria, Ray White Ballarat participated for their first time. Phillip Lee, Director of Ray White Ballarat said a big thank you to clients, staff and members of the community who put toys under the Christmas tree in their office over the last few weeks.

“We had the pleasure of handing the toys over to Merv Lincoln from the Salvation Army on Friday to distribute to those in need this Christmas”.

Mr Lee said, “the generous contributions of toys will help put a smile on a young child’s face this Christmas.”

Across Whittlesea in Victoria, offices joined forced with the Rotary Club of Bundoora including Ray White Mill Park, Ray white Bundoora, Ray White South Morang, Ray White Thomastown and Ray White Epping. In Croydon, Melba College supported the campaign.

In Queensland, Ray White Rockhampton distributed 7500 pamphlets to encourage the community to get behind the gift drive. Gladstone donated their gifts to the Salvation Army, Roseberry Community Services and UnitingCare Community via the Rotary Club of South Gladstone. The benefactor of the gifts donated to Ray White Whitsunday and Rotary Club of Airlie Beach was the Whitsunday Crisis and Counselling Service. The corporate team collected 85 presents.

But story of the month goes to the community of Ascot in Brisbane. Ray White Ascot had 180 gifts delivered by Ascot State School when the year four students decided to boycott “secret Santa” in the classroom and instead donated all of the gifts to those less fortunate children in their community.

In Western Australia, offices from Narrogin to Dongara and Morley participated. So too did offices in Burnie and Central Launceston in Tasmania.