BENEFACTOR SUPPORTS LIFELINE ONLINE SERVICES
The Benedict Group’s recent donation to Lifeline Australia’s Help at Hand Giving Day means that asking for help will get a little easier. And even better is that our donation of $18,500 was very generously matched dollar for dollar by The Buildcorp Foundation resulting in a $37,000 boost to Lifeline’s vision of an Australia free of suicide.
“We are proud supporters of Lifeline and this support is definitely organisation wide,” says Dana Dupere, Director, Benedict. “Each of our business units were delighted to support the Help at Hand Giving Day.”
Lifeline relies heavily on donations and volunteers to provide essential suicide prevention and crisis support services such as a 24/7 crisis phone line, an online text service and virtual counselling sessions.
In recent years, there has been an increase in online requests for help with Lifeline acknowledging that asking for support by sending a text message can often feel easier than having to say it out loud. This has underscored the necessity to expand the capacity to respond to these requests and funds raised in this year’s Help at Hand Giving Day will allow Lifeline to plan for future demand and to be there for people who are more comfortable reaching out for help through digital channels.
In practical terms, our donation translates into significant support for online requests for assistance. It costs $25 for a Lifeline volunteer to have a vital conversation through the Lifeline crisis text service. Our dollar matched donation of $37,000 means that an additional 1,480 text conversations can occur, extending help to those who may not have reached out for assistance if this service was not available.
“This would not have been possible without the support of The Buildcorp Foundation and Benedict is pleased to have contributed to the almost $770,000 raised,” says Dana. “Many of us may find ourselves touched by Lifeline’s services, so it is important to acknowledge and support the work they do to help people navigating the darkest moments of their lives.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14.
If you or someone you know is in danger or needs immediate medical attention, call 000.