SKY HIGH DONATION TO ORPHANED KIDS IN CHINA

Gold Coast-based philanthropist and James Home Service’s CEO Mike Dowling is helping create a brighter future for children in China, donating thousands of dollars to Half the Sky Australia Foundation

Half the Sky Australia supports development projects in China as part of the global OneSky network.

“OneSky is a great organisation, providing nurturing care for infants, early education programs for pre-schoolers, mentoring for older children, loving foster families for children with special needs, and vital training and development for China’s welfare institution caregivers,” said Mr Dowling, who was nominated for Queensland Community Foundation Philanthropist of the Year in June.

Thanks to donations from Australians such as Mike, OneSky has trained 29,575 caregivers, directly impacting
the lives of 147,792 children, many who are orphans.

“It’s a really great cause making a substantial difference to the quality of life for thousands of kids each year and I encourage everyone to help out in any way possible,” said Mike, whose organisation donated $20,500 to Half the Sky Australia last financial year and more than $500,000 to charities and non-profit organisations over the past few years.

“Philanthropy is vital and if you are in a position to help others, I feel you should do whatever you can. Having a successful business has allowed me to do what I love and at the same time, help others.

“I have made it my priority to ensure that business is supporting charities, especially those that help children.”

Last year, Australia was third on the World Giving Index and it is people like Mike who are making the difference.

According to Philanthropy Australia, about 14.9 million Australian adults (80.8% of the population) gave $12.5 billion to charities and not-for-profits organisations in 2015-16. The average donation was $764.08 and the median donation was $200. Compared with 10 years ago, a smaller proportion of Australians are giving, but they are giving larger amounts.

Mike wants more and more businesses to follow his lead.

“No matter who you are or how successful your business is, there will always be ways you can help. It doesn’t have to just be through large donations either – you can make a positive difference by giving away some of your time or by simply using your voice to speak out,” he said.

You can donate to One Sky through the website www.onesky.org or via the Half the Sky Facebook page @halftheskyaus.

MEDIA NOTE: To interview Mr Dowling please contact Wings Public Relations Director Deanna Nott on 0422 504 540.