http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/charity/ Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Hey-pup-keep-your-bat-clean-and-your-image-squeaky/ When Australian skipper Michael Clarke raised his bat to celebrate his historic triple century at the SCG it showed a man becoming aware of his stature in the game. Instead of pointing to a bat sponsor - a deal which can be valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars - he gestured towards the McGrath Foundation sticker placed there earlier that day. Clarke’s manager James Erskine later explained the skipper had split with Slazenger and he is still mid-negotiation with two or three companies to finalise a deal. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Hey-pup-keep-your-bat-clean-and-your-image-squeaky/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Hey-pup-keep-your-bat-clean-and-your-image-squeaky/#item7588 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 In 10 days I’m going to get on a plane and go to Kenya. I’ve packed my clothes, my sunscreen, my wide-brimmed hat and my mosquito net. I’ve also packed the $7,000 dollars I raised to fund the building of an orphanage in Mangu – the project I’ll be working on. I’ve also packed another $1,000 of my own money to spend at the local market on gifts, books, schoolbags, pens and paper for the kids. So with this in mind, you can imagine my surprise when this bold opinion piece was emailed to me: “Hands-on help can be harmful”. There are always rotten apples in the barrel and clearly there are some overseas volunteer projects that are not set up with the best of intentions. And I agree that for many overseas projects there should be formal checks on those working with children. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/what-could-be-better-than-hands-on-experience/ In 10 days I’m going to get on a plane and go to Kenya. I’ve packed my clothes, my sunscreen, my wide-brimmed hat and my mosquito net. I’ve also packed the $7,000 dollars I raised to fund the building of an orphanage in Mangu – the project I’ll be working on. I’ve also packed another $1,000 of my own money to spend at the local market on gifts, books, schoolbags, pens and paper for the kids. So with this in mind, you can imagine my surprise when this bold opinion piece was emailed to me: “Hands-on help can be harmful”. There are always rotten apples in the barrel and clearly there are some overseas volunteer projects that are not set up with the best of intentions. And I agree that for many overseas projects there should be formal checks on those working with children. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/what-could-be-better-than-hands-on-experience/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/what-could-be-better-than-hands-on-experience/#item7497 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 In 10 days I’m going to get on a plane and go to Kenya. I’ve packed my clothes, my sunscreen, my wide-brimmed hat and my mosquito net. I’ve also packed the $7,000 dollars I raised to fund the building of an orphanage in Mangu – the project I’ll be working on. I’ve also packed another $1,000 of my own money to spend at the local market on gifts, books, schoolbags, pens and paper for the kids. So with this in mind, you can imagine my surprise when this bold opinion piece was emailed to me: “Hands-on help can be harmful”. There are always rotten apples in the barrel and clearly there are some overseas volunteer projects that are not set up with the best of intentions. And I agree that for many overseas projects there should be formal checks on those working with children. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/only-the-selfish-dump-their-crap-in-charity-bins/ Dead cats don’t belong in charity bins. Same goes for sex toys, dirty nappies, sharp knives, broken furniture and the leftovers from your Christmas dinner. But try telling that to the people who’ve dumped hundreds of tonnes of crap in the charity bins of suburban Sydney and Melbourne this past week. According to news reports in both the Daily Telegraph and the Herald Sun, people in our eastern states’ most “affluent” suburbs decided the local Salvos, Smith Family or St Vincent de Paul charity bin was a more convenient way of getting rid of unwanted Christmas detritus than paying a visit to their local tip. The measly $12 entrance fee to most local council tips clearly proving far too expensive for their “affluent” tastes. Dumping broken furniture, dirty clothing or unusable bric-a-brac is not charity. And our suburbs have not been suddenly overcome by an urgency to give to others. Stuffing your local goodwill bin full of unwanted stuff (some living) helps no one. It’s just thoughtless, lazy and selfish. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/only-the-selfish-dump-their-crap-in-charity-bins/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/only-the-selfish-dump-their-crap-in-charity-bins/#item7476 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 In 10 days I’m going to get on a plane and go to Kenya. I’ve packed my clothes, my sunscreen, my wide-brimmed hat and my mosquito net. I’ve also packed the $7,000 dollars I raised to fund the building of an orphanage in Mangu – the project I’ll be working on. I’ve also packed another $1,000 of my own money to spend at the local market on gifts, books, schoolbags, pens and paper for the kids. So with this in mind, you can imagine my surprise when this bold opinion piece was emailed to me: “Hands-on help can be harmful”. There are always rotten apples in the barrel and clearly there are some overseas volunteer projects that are not set up with the best of intentions. And I agree that for many overseas projects there should be formal checks on those working with children. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/dick-smith-takes-a-sledgehammer-to-the-mega-rich/ Dick Smith, the former electronics giant, is a household name, an Australian icon. A former Australian of the Year, he was awarded an Order of Australia in 1999 “as a benefactor to charitable organisations”. By any measure, he has earned the right to vent his opinion in public. His recent argument in favour of naming and shaming Australia’s mega-rich who do not give philanthropy garnered headlines nationwide and would have raised eyebrows – and probably voices – at the top end of town. But we should be grateful for his candour. Few people have such courage, fortitude and leadership. And whether you loved or loathed his comments, he has done an important service in kick-starting a critically important conversation. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/dick-smith-takes-a-sledgehammer-to-the-mega-rich/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/dick-smith-takes-a-sledgehammer-to-the-mega-rich/#item6781 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 In 10 days I’m going to get on a plane and go to Kenya. I’ve packed my clothes, my sunscreen, my wide-brimmed hat and my mosquito net. I’ve also packed the $7,000 dollars I raised to fund the building of an orphanage in Mangu – the project I’ll be working on. I’ve also packed another $1,000 of my own money to spend at the local market on gifts, books, schoolbags, pens and paper for the kids. So with this in mind, you can imagine my surprise when this bold opinion piece was emailed to me: “Hands-on help can be harmful”. There are always rotten apples in the barrel and clearly there are some overseas volunteer projects that are not set up with the best of intentions. And I agree that for many overseas projects there should be formal checks on those working with children. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Charities-should-mind-their-manners/ Giving to help others is a beautiful thing. But is anyone finding the increased aggression of “chuggers” is destroying a lot of that goodwill? There are a lot of Australians doing it tough through no fault of their own and it’s our duty to help as a payback for the privilege of being part of the community. Welfare groups are also suffering from the big squeeze. Donations are drying up because of the tough economic times and the demand for their services is increasing for the same reason. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Charities-should-mind-their-manners/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Charities-should-mind-their-manners/#item6522 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 In 10 days I’m going to get on a plane and go to Kenya. I’ve packed my clothes, my sunscreen, my wide-brimmed hat and my mosquito net. I’ve also packed the $7,000 dollars I raised to fund the building of an orphanage in Mangu – the project I’ll be working on. I’ve also packed another $1,000 of my own money to spend at the local market on gifts, books, schoolbags, pens and paper for the kids. So with this in mind, you can imagine my surprise when this bold opinion piece was emailed to me: “Hands-on help can be harmful”. There are always rotten apples in the barrel and clearly there are some overseas volunteer projects that are not set up with the best of intentions. And I agree that for many overseas projects there should be formal checks on those working with children. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/hairs-how-to-raise-more-money/ Asking people to do anything is tough. Asking them to give you money is even harder. Yet that’s what charity and social cause organisations have to do every day. Nearly all of their advertising focuses on one of two ways to unlock peoples’ wallets to raise money. It’s either: 1) A rational message: Providing statistics that show how important the charity is, and how large the task at hand is. For example, how many lives are at risk, how many people have died, how many degrees the earth has warmed up and so on. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/hairs-how-to-raise-more-money/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/hairs-how-to-raise-more-money/#item6099 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 In 10 days I’m going to get on a plane and go to Kenya. I’ve packed my clothes, my sunscreen, my wide-brimmed hat and my mosquito net. I’ve also packed the $7,000 dollars I raised to fund the building of an orphanage in Mangu – the project I’ll be working on. I’ve also packed another $1,000 of my own money to spend at the local market on gifts, books, schoolbags, pens and paper for the kids. So with this in mind, you can imagine my surprise when this bold opinion piece was emailed to me: “Hands-on help can be harmful”. There are always rotten apples in the barrel and clearly there are some overseas volunteer projects that are not set up with the best of intentions. And I agree that for many overseas projects there should be formal checks on those working with children. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/i-was-a-homeless-drug-addict-then-i-hit-rock-bottom/ This is an edited extract of a moving and deeply personal speech a man called Ian gave at the launch of the St Vincent de Paul Society’s CEO Sleepout. The actual event is tonight. Visit the website if you want to help out. You’ve never met me, you don’t know me.  My name is Ian and I was an addict for 15 years. I started when I was 15 when a dealer dropped a packet of heroin in front of me and my mate. Three days later we were injecting. The dealer looked after us.  He gave us a job which was to carry his little wraps of tinfoil for him - it was my first job. He and his dealer mates were my role models at the time. My dad was alcoholic and had left early on and my mum struggled to raise me and my three sisters. All but one sister became drug addicts too.  feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/i-was-a-homeless-drug-addict-then-i-hit-rock-bottom/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/i-was-a-homeless-drug-addict-then-i-hit-rock-bottom/#item6082 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 In 10 days I’m going to get on a plane and go to Kenya. I’ve packed my clothes, my sunscreen, my wide-brimmed hat and my mosquito net. I’ve also packed the $7,000 dollars I raised to fund the building of an orphanage in Mangu – the project I’ll be working on. I’ve also packed another $1,000 of my own money to spend at the local market on gifts, books, schoolbags, pens and paper for the kids. So with this in mind, you can imagine my surprise when this bold opinion piece was emailed to me: “Hands-on help can be harmful”. There are always rotten apples in the barrel and clearly there are some overseas volunteer projects that are not set up with the best of intentions. And I agree that for many overseas projects there should be formal checks on those working with children. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Touched-by-the-angel-of-the-PNG-AIDS-ward/ A couple of Sundays ago in Port Moresby, Stephanie Copus-Campbell – the head of AusAID’s program in PNG – invited me and a colleague to accompany her on a regular Sunday activity. Every Sunday, Stephanie goes to the local supermarket and buys $70 worth of oranges which she then takes to the AIDS ward at the Port Moresby hospital. HIV infection rates are high in PNG and while antiretroviral drugs are available, people still come to this place to die. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Touched-by-the-angel-of-the-PNG-AIDS-ward/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Touched-by-the-angel-of-the-PNG-AIDS-ward/#item5921 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 In 10 days I’m going to get on a plane and go to Kenya. I’ve packed my clothes, my sunscreen, my wide-brimmed hat and my mosquito net. I’ve also packed the $7,000 dollars I raised to fund the building of an orphanage in Mangu – the project I’ll be working on. I’ve also packed another $1,000 of my own money to spend at the local market on gifts, books, schoolbags, pens and paper for the kids. So with this in mind, you can imagine my surprise when this bold opinion piece was emailed to me: “Hands-on help can be harmful”. There are always rotten apples in the barrel and clearly there are some overseas volunteer projects that are not set up with the best of intentions. And I agree that for many overseas projects there should be formal checks on those working with children. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/cough-up-cos-were-all-going-on-a-fundraising-holiday/ I am about to go on holiday… scrub that. Start again. Myself and a group of my well-remunerated stockbroker buddies are about to undertake a gruelling 800km ride from Adelaide to Melbourne. 20 years ago we would have gone on a golf trip, sucked piss for five days and told off-colour jokes. The times they are a-changing hey? What’s also new… well not so new now, is that my holiday is now an opportunity for you to lighten your wallet. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/cough-up-cos-were-all-going-on-a-fundraising-holiday/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/cough-up-cos-were-all-going-on-a-fundraising-holiday/#item5783 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 In 10 days I’m going to get on a plane and go to Kenya. I’ve packed my clothes, my sunscreen, my wide-brimmed hat and my mosquito net. I’ve also packed the $7,000 dollars I raised to fund the building of an orphanage in Mangu – the project I’ll be working on. I’ve also packed another $1,000 of my own money to spend at the local market on gifts, books, schoolbags, pens and paper for the kids. So with this in mind, you can imagine my surprise when this bold opinion piece was emailed to me: “Hands-on help can be harmful”. There are always rotten apples in the barrel and clearly there are some overseas volunteer projects that are not set up with the best of intentions. And I agree that for many overseas projects there should be formal checks on those working with children. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/disability-advocates-ignoring-whats-best-for-disabled/ Sue O’Reilly, who has guest written today’s column on The Angry Cripple is a freelance journalist and the mother of a 21-year-old son with cerebral palsy. She co-founded Australians Mad as Hell last year with Fiona Porter to campaign for an NDIS and established a charity called Fighting Chance to help people with disabilities pay for essential therapy services. The president of South Australia’s Council on Intellectual Disabilities recently stated that all people with disabilities have “a right to live in an ordinary home in an ordinary street”. But what if some people with disabilities don’t want to live in “an ordinary house in an ordinary street”? What if they want to live in something like the manicured villages that have sprung up everywhere for people over 55, or an apartment complex with 24/7 care facilities? feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/disability-advocates-ignoring-whats-best-for-disabled/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/disability-advocates-ignoring-whats-best-for-disabled/#item5554 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 In 10 days I’m going to get on a plane and go to Kenya. I’ve packed my clothes, my sunscreen, my wide-brimmed hat and my mosquito net. I’ve also packed the $7,000 dollars I raised to fund the building of an orphanage in Mangu – the project I’ll be working on. I’ve also packed another $1,000 of my own money to spend at the local market on gifts, books, schoolbags, pens and paper for the kids. So with this in mind, you can imagine my surprise when this bold opinion piece was emailed to me: “Hands-on help can be harmful”. There are always rotten apples in the barrel and clearly there are some overseas volunteer projects that are not set up with the best of intentions. And I agree that for many overseas projects there should be formal checks on those working with children.