This year, more than 200 women (and three very brave men) from the Melbourne office turned out in their Friday finest to watch a premiere screening of Sex and the City 2. The screening was organised to raise money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Everyone was more than happy to pull out a frock, grab a Cosmopolitan and enjoy the wonderful canapés and cupcakes on offer in honour of such a worthy cause.
Photo: Allens staff and friends enjoy a Cosmo before the premiere screening.
Twelve staff from the Melbourne office starred in the first annual Teach For Australia Suit-Up Football Competition. Teach For Australia engages some of Australia's best graduates in addressing one of our most pressing social issues – educational disadvantage. The annual football match aims to promote Teach For Australia.
Photo: John-Paul Santamaria and Ryan Saundry contemplate their next strategic tackle.
For more than 30 years, Mission Australia has run a Christmas Lunch in the Park in Perth, giving people affected by poverty, illness, addiction, homelessness or unemployment an opportunity to celebrate the holiday season. Allens sponsored many tables at Christmas Lunch in the Park and also provided financial support to assist with covering last year's costs of the meals, gifts and entertainment, which was attended by more than 1200 people.
Photo: Mission Australia Christmas Lunch, Perth.
Almost 50 colleagues in the Perth office spent half a day volunteering at various community organisations. Some volunteers attended the Cat Haven and Dog Refuge and got their hands dirty gardening, painting kennels and outdoor areas, while others attended St Bartholomew's House, a provider of accommodation services and support to homeless men in Perth and surrounding areas. The day was a great success overall, and everyone enjoyed the opportunity to get out of the office and help out such worthwhile charitable organisations.
Photo: Jo Huston and Tammyjean Fawcett on Staff Community Day.
Hear from Lawyer Jade Glenister about how our Perth office got behind the Association for the Blind of WA's annual street appeal as part of the staff community day.
The Sydney summer clerks organised a fundraising event in support of the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME). AIME is an organisation that links university students in one-on-one relationships with high school Indigenous students. Its objectives are to increase Year 10, Year 12 and university admission rates for Indigenous Australian students. AIME was the creation of Jack Manning Bancroft, CEO, who started the program when he was 19 years of age. Jack gave an inspiring keynote speech at the event and even came dressed in 'Geek Chic', our theme for the evening!
Photo: L-R: Sydney summer clerks Fiona Cheung, Sephora Sultana, Tess Deegan, Stuart Cottle, David Rountree, Heidi Chiu, Melissa Rubbo and Amanda Richman.
In the lead-up to the holidays, the Hong Kong Community Committee organised a Christmas present drive, charity raffle and casual clothing day. The Hong Kong office contributed a large number of beautifully wrapped toys, which were placed under the Christmas giving tree. A total of HK$12,180 (approximately A$1600) was also raised through donations and raffle ticket sales. This is a significant contribution in light of the relatively small size of the Hong Kong office.
The toys were donated to the Salvation Army before Christmas and distributed to needy Hong Kong children during the festive season.
Photo: Kieran Humphrey and the Hong Kong office sort through the donated gifts.
During the recent FIFA World Cup, the Hong Kong Community Committee organised a number of football themed activities to raise money for Variety Children's Charity in Hong Kong.
These included a World Cup tipping contest, a raffle and a casual clothes day.
The Hong Kong staff used the casual clothes day to wear their favourite sports shirt, which featured plenty of jerseys from the World Cup and even the odd rugby and AFL strip. The tipping contest was enthusiastically supported by the office and a raffle that produced some lucky winners who walked away with great prizes that were donated by Allens staff.
As a result of these activities, the Hong Kong office generously donated a total HK$6000 to Variety in support of their work at the Royal Duchess of Kent Children's Hospital in Hong Kong.
Variety is an international charity that supports children across the Asia Pacific. The Hong Kong branch is dedicated to helping disadvantaged children in Hong Kong and China to obtain medical care, education and other necessities. The firm has assisted Variety in Australia and around the Asia Pacific for a number of years.
Photo: Euphemia Wong, Carey Pang and Sue-Lyn Chan get in the spirit of the FIFA World Cup to raise money for Variety Children's Charity in Hong Kong.