Erin McCallum knows firsthand the life-changing work the Centre Against Violence undertakes, and the importance of community support behind the organisation.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The La Trobe University student participation assistant has spearheaded a fundraising event for CAV, in part motivated by her own experience seeking support from their staff.
“Without them I would not be able to say I am where I am now – I definitely wouldn’t have the job I have, working at the university,” she said.
“It’s important someone is there who is confidential – you can’t always rely on friends and family to listen, as it’s a difficult thing to hear.”
Busking for a Breakthrough was established by Ms McCallum in Griffith, as a fundraiser for a young woman who had cerebral palsy.
“The first time, we raised money for a girl called Rachel Grey who needed an operation on her jaw, and we raised about $1500,” she said.
“In the second year here in Wodonga, the university sponsored the event with a grant I applied for and we raised $700 for headspace.
“We had quite a number of people come last year and we had some really good bands.”
The event will run at La Trobe’s Wodonga campus on Saturday from 3pm to 11pm, featuring children’s entertainment and food venues.
The 10 performing artists include Nathan Vaccaro, SYNCH, Marisa Quigley, KC Irony, Adrian Clark and the Northern Folk.
Ms McCallum said the second event on the Border wasn’t just about music, but raising awareness of domestic violence and CAV.
“When we talk about breaking through, it’s breaking through barriers in the community,” she said.
“The community is a big team and we can work as a team to stand up and say ‘This is not OK’.”
Centre Against Violence chief executive Kerry Burns agreed.
“Our clients experience the benefit of knowing that people in their communities care about what is happening to them and express that by making a donation,” she said.
“We are also helped by those undertaking fundraising being able to make many more people aware of the issues of family violence and sexual assault.
“Being active locally makes such a big difference and the big difference is that we receive an injection of hope – hope inspires us.”
To access support for domestic violence, contact 1800 015 188, and for sexual assault, 1800 806 292.
