After breaking the $1 million mark for donations in 2024, the Mayor’s Charity Ball committee has announced the beneficiaries for the 2025 event.
Mayor Greg Williamson said the aim of the event was to fund two charities for two years to enable significant funds to be raised for each group and to make a real difference in our community.
“Proceeds will be split 50-50 between Grapevine Group and new beneficiary The Salvation Army’s Family Violence Service,” Mayor Williamson said.
“Australian Street Aid Project drops off this year after completing their two-year tenure, but it’s exciting to see the positive impact of the funding for people who are experiencing homelessness in our region,” he said.
“Grapevine Group is continuing on for their second year, which is timely, as suicide prevention and awareness is a very important issue for our community.”
Grapevine Group award-winning trainer Edie Weiss said they were thrilled to continue on for a second year.
“The timing of the funding and support from the Mayor’s Charity Ball couldn’t be better, as we celebrated our 20th anniversary this year,” Ms Weiss said.
“We are grateful for the support of the Ball, not just for the fundraising opportunity, but also for the chance to build awareness of the importance of suicide prevention,” she said.
“The 2025 funds will allow us to continue to provide life-saving training to locals in our region and expand our network of trainers.
“We can also now offer businesses the opportunity to have their own safeTALK trainer on staff.
“To date, Grapevine has trained 6800 people, but many more need to be suicide aware, so attempts can be prevented and those struggling can find the vital support they need.
“The theme of our first fundraiser was ‘Have a ball and make a difference’ and that’s what we would like to encourage Mackay to do at the 2025 Ball.”
Liz Carney, Family Violence Regional Manager for The Salvation Army, said their whole team were grateful for being selected as a charity for the event.
“With a significant increase in demand for family violence services across the board, it’s more important than ever that The Salvation Army can continue to provide vital services to victim survivors,” Ms Carney said.
“For survivors to truly recover from the impact of family violence and thrive, The Salvation Army need to be able to provide accessible healing and therapeutic services,” she said.
“This donation will not only improve our facilities for The Salvation Army but will also help us continue to offer recovery and healing services for victim-survivors in the Mackay region, a much-needed step to creating recovery pathways for victim survivors.
“At a time where there has been an unprecedented increase in the number of deaths due to gender-based violence in Australia, it’s crucial that all services come together to provide holistic responses to prevent and respond to family violence.
“At the Salvos we believe in good, and this belief drives us to find new ways and places to make a difference across Australia.”
The 2025 event will see a change in sponsorship structure, with long-term Platinum sponsor DGH Engineering finishing up as a sponsor of the event.
Mayor Williamson said DGH had been a massive help with the event over the years and their unwavering sponsorship was greatly appreciated.
“DGH has been a major sponsor since the very beginning and their support has been instrumental in helping the event crack the $1 million mark last year.”
“BHP Mitsubishi Alliance have decided to step up and fill the Platinum sponsorship vacancy after supporting the event for many years as a Gold sponsor.”
Platinum partners for the 2025 Mayor’s Charity Ball include Fergus Builders, Daly Bay and BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA).
Left to right – Ben Sonter from CQ Soil testing, Courtney Casey from Southern Cross Austereo, Ben Bloxsidge from Pentacon, Cr Heath Paton, Mayor Greg Williamson, Sharon Johnston from Daly Bay, Cr Karen May, Jules Kakono from Salvation Army, Nicole Whitley from SCIG, Liz Carney from The Salvation Army, Edie Weiss from Grapevine Group and Ben Hilder from Fergus Builders. Photo supplied: Mackay Regional Council
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