Dare to be good. That’s the simple concept behind the Mary McKillop Foundation’s Do Good Deeds day on Friday 18th October.
Participants either commit to do a good deed themselves, or support someone else’s good deed, and at the same time raise money for small community-based charitable projects that are making a big difference.
Do Good Deedsis part of the Mary MacKillop Foundation’s national Green and Gold Day appeal and dares people to “never see a need without doing something about it” by challenging themselves and their friends to perform acts of kindness in their communities.
Even the smallest of good deeds will have a big impact, as all the support each of the ‘do gooders’ receive will support small community-based charitable groups that are making a big difference.
“One of the greatest things any of us can do in life is to reach out and do a good deed for another human being, and this is a chance to realise the national scope of just that,” said the Governor of NSW, Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO when she launched Do Good Deeds day.
“I encourage you all to identify someone in need in your local community and as St Mary MacKillop said 'do something about it' by challenging yourself or a friend to do a small act of kindness and inspire more good deeds.”
The challenge works in two ways:
- either you dare someone to do a good deed, or
- you dare someone to donate to the good deed you are doing.
Once the deeds are nominated, donations can be made online.
Deeds can be as simple as offering to pay for a stranger’s coffee, donating books to a children’s hospital, washing a friend’s car, or helping an elderly person with their grocery shopping.
However, it pays to be creative, so participants are encouraged to have fun with the project by thinking outside the box, such as committing to sing at a nursing home.
“The Mary MacKillop Foundation hopes that by Australians doing their own good deeds through this new initiative, they not only realise their community imprint but also the fact that they are the forerunners of a flow on effect where even more good deeds will be funded,” said Sam Hardjono, CEO of the Mary MacKillop Foundation.
“Every one plays an important part in developing a groundswell of support for ‘do gooders’ to fulfil their dares – a reflection of the Mary MacKillop Foundation’s ongoing work to support life-changing community charity projects across the country.”
Donations will support small community-based charitable projects that are already making a great difference, to enable them to meet even more needs consistent with the Mary MacKillop Foundation’s mission to continue the legacy of Australia’s first saint by giving grants of up to $10,000 each to small community-based projects that are dedicated to assisting those who are less fortunate than them or in need of a helping hand.
“The Mary MacKillop Foundation has the responsibility of continuing the legacy of Australia’s first saint, and we do it in a practical way,” said Sam Hardjono.
“Our mission is to meet needs in a way that restores self-reliance and human dignity, and we believe that much more can be accomplished by supporting small community-based projects that are already making a great difference.”
Registrations for the Do Good Deeds challenge are now open, and can be made online here.
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