Thirty-one Canberra business leaders gave up five days of their time to raise much-needed funds and awareness for Menslink. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Fuelled by record donations, 31 community and business leaders had an extra spring in their step as they completed the five-day trek along the Centenary Trail for this year’s annual Menslink Great Walk Challenge.
But according to Menslink CEO Ben Gathercole, the $370,000-plus raised, while stupendous, was not the headline.
“Everyone’s most valuable asset is time, so to take five days out of your life — time usually spent with your loved ones, on work or all the other commitments people have — and give that to Menslink, that blows me away,” he said.
“I saw Jacquelyn Curtis fielding phone calls while she was on the walk. She’s a director at Parker Coles Curtis, she has a family, and to say she’s a busy woman is an understatement.
“I think the sacrifice of these 31 people speaks volumes about what our work means in the community.”
Now in its fifth year, the Menslink Great Walk Challenge takes participants on the 142 km trek to raise much-needed funds and awareness for Menslink.
This increases the organisation’s reach for its vital programs.
“People ask what we’re going to use the funds on, and the answer is simple: more. More education, more mentoring, more counselling, which in turn leads to greater impact and support for more of our young men,” Mr Gathercole says.
“The impact of this event is that it gives us the ability to listen, support and walk the journey with more young men, and we know they need that more than ever.”
Parker Coles Curtis, director, Jacquelyn Curtis, was a first-timer on the Menslink Great Walk Challenge. Photo: Supplied.
Ms Curtis, a first-timer on the challenge, said she would happily return to walk for such a worthy cause again next year.
Aside from discovering beautiful pockets of the region previously unknown to her, she said getting behind Menslink made “absolute sense” for her female-led family law firm.
“The majority of clients we refer to Menslink, and the largest single demographic seeking help from them, are single mums trying to raise good young men. They want to teach them to be respectful and find models of healthy relationships. They’re often rebuilding from previous relationships where there was family violence and abuse,” she says.
“As family lawyers, we see the prevalence of family violence every day. We understand all too well the impact of poor mental health not only on our clients, but also their children.”
Ms Curtis said organisations like Menslink were a vital piece in breaking the cycles of poor mental health and family violence, offering support and mentoring at the exact point where young men and their families often fall through the cracks.
“To have an organisation like Menslink wrap its arms around a family in crisis and be a stabilising presence in so many different ways, we’ve seen the life-changing impact that can have on a young man’s life and their family’s, not to mention the ripple effect in the community,” she said.
“I feel really proud to have contributed.”
Capping off the walk, the Chamberlain Foundation bolstered fundraising by naming Menslink the primary beneficiary of its annual charity gala, which raised over $100,000 from 380 generous attendees.
“We are truly grateful for the funds, but also the awareness these efforts create in our community, of the work Menslink does and the difference it can make,” Mr Gathercole said.
For more information, visit Menslink.
