A WHITELION fundraiser which put a group of South East identities behind bars at the Old Mount Gambier Gaol earlier this year has been labelled the nation’s top charity event of its kind.
Whitelion’s Bail Out campaign is held country-wide and aims to shed light on what prison life is like for at-risk youths in the community.
The successful Limestone Coast event raised around $26,000 for the cause, topping Adelaide’s tally of $22,000.
Whitelion South Australia strategy and development manager Kerrie Sellen said the Limestone Coast region topped the leaderboard for most funds raised from the event around the country.
“This is the biggest fundraising community anywhere across Australia,” she said.
“Everyone really backed the cause and as a result of that we have been able to purchase two vehicles for the region’s learning centres.
“A Hyundai i30 will be heading up to Millicent to help the staff at the Millicent Community Learning Centre, while a Hyundai iMax will be stationed at the Mount Gambier Independent Learning Centre.”
Mount Gambier Independent Learning Centre manager David Burt said the new vehicle would make a world of difference for the facility.
“We primarily deal with disadvantaged young people every day,” he said.
“Transport is a huge issue for these kids, so being able to take them to and from the centre as well as to different programs is amazing.
“It will make a huge difference to our centre and to the attendance of our kids.
“We have such an incredible community here and they are always big supporters of us, so we are always really grateful for that.”
Ms Sellen said the Limestone Coast event had the lowest running cost of any around the country, which she attributes to the operators of the gaol.
Operator Mel Stephenson said she was more than happy to get on board with this year’s event.
“It was such a fantastic event to host – our community is so giving,” she said.
“We are so excited with this year’s outcome knowing what we are now going to do in the future.
“The gaol is a community asset and it is here for everyone, we love being able to host events like this at the facility which go on to benefit our community so perfectly.”
Across the nation, Bail Out 2019 raised over $430,000 towards keeping young people out of the Youth Justice System and diverting them towards rehabilitation through culturally appropriate supports and programs.
Bail Out 2020 aims to continue this mission of “locking up” supporters who have asked themselves the question “what if it was my child?”.
