JourneyOnline
AN ESTIMATED one in four Queenslanders live in some kind of poverty according to the Queensland Council of Social Services.
Every day Wesley Mission Brisbane (WMB) helps over 3000 people.
WMB Executive Director Geoff Batkin said their annual fundraiser Footloose Friday, this year held on Friday 20 August, was about supporting people in need.
“The work WMB does helps people when they need it most, giving people the opportunities they need to try and reach their potential.
“Your donation can make a world of difference,” he said.
“Our mission statement is all about walking alongside and in relationship with people to enhance their lives.
“It is a living mission of true social justice and equity and that is what we do.”
The compassionate stories from WMB are limitless.
For example Chloe, a 13-year-old living with her alcoholic mother.
When WMB met her she was struggling to stay in school, and was aggressive, unresponsive and troubled.
WMB helped both Chloe and her mother get the support they needed. Now Chloe attends school full-time and during the weekend she is learning to surf.
Her mother is also improving and together they are learning to have a healthy mother/daughter relationship.
WMB will be holding a number of events throughout Brisbane on Footloose Friday, 20 August, including a cake stall outside Albert Street Uniting Church in the CBD.
There will be collectors selling merchandise at various points throughout the city, a community breakfast at Chermside and lunch at Sinnamon Village.
Merchandise is also available to sell at schools, workplaces and churches.
“We don’t mind how you celebrate – whether it is on the Friday or on the following Sunday – but please support us; help us help those in need,” said Mr Batkin.
“God has given to each of us dreams, skills and abilities.
“Sometimes, for whatever reason, people find themselves in difficulty, travelling a path other than that which they may have intended.
“Giving a little to help someone get back on their feet isn’t a lot to ask, but it is a lot to receive and it can literally turn a person’s life around.”
Photo : Photo courtesy of Wesley Mission Brisbane
