Perth brokerage raises $7,500 for ex-service personnel at quiz night

The Local Loan Company recently hosted a quiz night to raise funds for Buddy Up Australia, a new Perth-based organisation that connects ex-service personnel with their community through meaningful activities and volunteer work.

Acknowledging that leaving the service can impact both physical and mental health, the team at Buddy Up Australia believes that every person who has provided military or public service to the country has the right to feel valued and be connected to their local community.

The Local Loan Company executive director Ray Hair told MPA that Buddy Up Australia particularly appealed to his team because of its strong ties with police, fire, ambulance, and military brigades.

“Community engagement is a core value of The Local Loan Company and The Local Financial Planner,” he added.

Simple but effective
The quiz night’s format is fun and simple to help keep people engaged. The group’s brokers, staff and business partners participated in the fundraiser, playing 10 rounds covering a range of topics.

The quiz night contributed to Buddy Up Australia in two significant ways, Hair said. First, by raising awareness of this organisation that provides essential support to former armed service men and women, and former emergency services personnel; and second, by raising $7,500.

“What we learned from our community engagement activities is that small groups of people and businesses can come together and make a difference. Buddy Up Australia is a great example,” Hair said. “A small group of likeminded people who felt passionate about the need to provide support services to people who made sacrifices for others.”

Everyone who took part in quiz night has expressed their appreciation for being introduced to Buddy Up Australia, Hair said. Some have even volunteered to be trained as counsellors. The school-age daughter of one of the mortgage agency’s staff liked what she heard about the charity so much that she introduced it to another fund raising opportunity through her school.

The right thing to do
Hair, along with the agency’s brokers and his co-directors Kylie Platt and Susan Lepidi, acknowledges that participating in purposeful community activities is an opportunity for them to create brand awareness and to communicate their values to clients.

“We know it makes good business sense to engage our community. But more importantly, we know it is the right thing to do,” Hair said.

“It has given us a renewed focus, and a sense of purpose around our desire to provide financial education, to assist people to better manage their money, and to achieve their lifestyle goals.”