Sydney Gala Dinner

The Sydney Annual Gala Dinner provided first class entertainment, food and beverages and spectacular views, as 250 guests were treated to a night to be remembered on the Harbour shores of Mosman.

Master of Ceremonies Sandra Sully, welcomed special guests including Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO and Dr John Hewson AM.

The event was an outstanding fundraising success for the Mary MacKillop Foundation raising over $50,000 towards small life changing projects.

Note from the CEO

The anniversary of the Canonisation of St Mary MacKillop is a timely reminder about the achievement of a courageous Australian who did something about it, to better the lives of many Australians.

In our daily journey, we all see a need, but sometimes our busy lives do not permit us to do something about it.

Take the asylum seeker debate. Do we as Australians have the courage to rise above the political and media onslaught on the issue, and look at the human impact, or are we too busy with our daily lives?

We can all do something about it, by giving the human element of this debate a priority.

I think we all know where St Mary MacKillop's stance on this issue would have been.

“never see a need without doing something about it” – St Mary MacKillop

 Sam Hardjono, Chief Executive Officer,

Mungindi, Twice blessed and what a good place to go!

Children at St Joseph’s School in the little town of Mungindi on the NSW and Queensland border were delighted to welcome the Travelling Sisters Roadshow as part of its epic journey around Australia.

Six years ago, Mungindi was suffering a gradual loss of services which affected the life of the community. There were no trains, buses, or any public transport within the town.The Foundation came to the rescue with a grant towards the purchase of a 12 seater bus giving the community independence and relief from the helplessness associated with isolation.

Support a Project or Scholarship

The Mary MacKillop Foundation has supported over 350 small life changing projects in Australia , and 32 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Tertiary Scholarships with another 35 currently enrolled.

Read more about our projects or scholarships. or go to the Foundation's website and click DONATE

Brisbane Gala Dinner - 28 October 2011

The Mary MacKillop Foundation invites you to attend their inaugural Brisbane Fundraising Dinner, on Friday 28th October at 7pm, The River Room – Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, in support of the Foundation's small life changing projects.

We welcome the Honourable Justice Martin Daubney, Supreme Court of Queensland, as Master of Ceremonies,  and Graham Quirk, Lord Mayor of Brisbane, as our guest speaker.

In view of the 2011 floods in Queensland and other parts of Australia, all donations received from the public to the Mary MacKillop Foundation will be used towards small life changing projects that have a particular regard to Disaster Recovery Projects in Australia.

Join us for dinner at this spectacular venue and make a difference for those less fortunate.

Christmas Cards - Coming Soon

Christmas is coming, and this year the Mary MacKillop Foundation will have beautiful Christmas cards for sale.

Further information will be available on our webiste end of October.

Travelling Sisters Roadshow- Postcards of Support

During the Travelling Sisters Roadshow, Sr Julianne told school children about the many challenges faced by Indigenous Scholarship recipients in completing their studies and encouraged them to write individual postcards of support.

The opportunity to present the postcards came when Sr Julianne met with some of the students at the Foundation’s Sydney Gala Dinner.

 “It was really great to know there are so many people supporting my studies, people I don’t even know. The postcards were uplifting and encouraging. I feel so blessed by all the support I have received” (Paul)

Be an Ambassador for Green & Gold Day

The Mary MacKillop Foundation is looking for Ambassadors for Green & Gold Day on 14^th October 2011.

Join Dr Fiona Wood and Sandra Sully and become an ambassador today!

 "I'm proud to be an Ambassador of Green & Gold Day 2011 for the Mary Mackillop Foundation. By supporting Green & Gold Day we are helping fund the grants that the Foundation gives across Australia" - Sandra Sully 

Register now

Green & Gold Day Update

Join us in supporting Aussies who make a difference and have some fun celebrating the Australian helping spirit.

What can you and your workplace, school or community group do?

Want more information or want to sign up? Visit http://greenandgoldday.org.au/

Our Projects - African fathers and sons camp

This year St Anthony’s Family Care, with funding from the Mary MacKillop Foundation, was able to put on a camp called Bridging the Gap for African fathers and sons from Blacktown, NSW.

Helen Cooper, manager of Bridging the Gap commented “It was great to watch the fathers spend quality time with their sons while sharing in moments of fun and adventure".

The camp assists in the development of stronger relationships between fathers and sons and provides the opportunity for them to participate in sports and recreational activities, many of which they had never experienced before.

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Tertiary Scholarships- Constance Moses

Constance Moses: Bridging the Gap between Cultures 

Aboriginal culture is one of the world’s oldest, yet many Australians have a limited knowledge of this ancient culture.

Connie is a recipient of a Good Shepherd Reconciliation Scholarship undertaking a Bachelor of Education and BA (AIS) at Murdoch University. As a member of the Nyungar-Minang/Goreng clan, Connie would like to bring Aboriginal culture to the wider community.

“I would love to bridge the gap between cultures and in finishing my degrees in education there is no doubt this will be achievable.”

Follow us on Facebook

The Mary MacKillop Foundation’s facebook page is being transformed into a hub for the Australian spirit and kindness! 

We are asking the question: “what are you thankful for?”

Go to our Facebook page and briefly tell us:

- What you think it means to be Australian.

- What you are thankful for.

- How you want to meet the needs of those around you.

Let’s share our love of Australia and the Aussie helping spirit!