community
community
Brave the cold for a good cause
More than 7000 people are currently experiencing homelessness in South Australia. As people feel the pressure of the rising cost of living, many are seeking support services from charities across the state.
Hutt St Centre has reported that visits for shelter, food, care and support have increased by 17 per cent since last winter.
By rugging up and stepping out in the chilly winter air this August, you’ll be showing solidarity with thousands of people experiencing homelessness in South Australia. Register for Walk a Mile in My Boots to join the community walk on Friday, 8 August.
You can also sponsor people who are participating if you’re unable to take part.
Hutt St Centre CEO Chris Burns says the challenge helps people rebuild their lives with dignity and hope.
“Every step taken during Walk a Mile in My Boots is a step towards greater compassion, understanding and real change for people impacted by homelessness,” Chris says.
“This August, we invite you to walk alongside us once again and show that no one should have to face homelessness alone.”
It’s free to register as an individual, team or workplace. The money raised will go towards providing vital services such as freshly cooked hot meals, hot showers, health checks and pathways to housing and employment.
Go to walkamile.org.au to learn more about how your steps can help transform another person’s life.
President's message
With winter comes the promise of some much-needed rain and RAA’s 1 July transition to a Company Limited by Guarantee.
There’s been a lot of behind-the-scenes work by the RAA team to ensure a seamless transition for our members.
We are, and always will be, a proud mutual (membership) organisation, and your ability to influence our decision-making through your voting rights remains as strong as ever. In fact, RAA members have even more powers under our new Constitution.
We’re still as proud as ever to be providing the products and services you’ve come to know and trust over the years, and your day-to-day interactions with us won’t change either.
What we’re committed to changing though, is how often we connect with you. There’s always a lot of exciting work in progress at RAA and we want to find more opportunities to engage with you on it.
Beyond our Annual General Meetings, roadshows and Gold 50 events, we’ll be setting up other forums so we can more frequently connect with members across the state.
If you’d like to share your ideas or be more involved in RAA’s member engagement activities, please let us know at raa.com.au/getinvolved or by emailing our Company Secretary at companysecretary@raa.com.au
There’s an exciting future ahead for RAA – and we want to share it with you.
Kathy Gramp
RAA President and Chairman of the Board
Roll up your sleeves this winter
It’s time to gather your friends, grab some garbage bags and pull on a pair of gloves for Clean Up Australia Day being held on Sunday, 2 March.
The annual event, which started 35 years ago, encourages communities to clean up parks, beaches, bushland and other natural environments across the country.
In 2022–23, more than 26,000 items were picked up by volunteers across South Australia with hard plastics accounting for 35 per cent of the waste collected. In 2024, about 750,000 people took part in Clean Up Australia Day at 11,246 locations.
Families, communities, schools and businesses can register a ‘clean up’ event in their local area, with organisers receiving a free kit containing bags, gloves and instructions.
Start your donation journey at lifeblood.com.au/eligibility
3.12% of Australians donate blood
Lifeblood’s 2023-24 annual report
Celebrating First Nations peoples
National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week are an invitation for all Australians to recognise the history and celebrate the cultures of First Nations peoples.
National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is held each year between 27 May and 3 June. NRW focuses on reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. This year’s theme, Bridging Now to Next, reflects on this ongoing connection between past and present, and calls on all Australians to step forward together.
RAA members can get involved by joining us for a movie screening of Sweet As, starring Shantae Barnes-Cowan, on Wednesday, 28 May, at the Capri Theatre in Goodwood.
NAIDOC Week follows later in the year, with events and activities held between 6 and 13 July. This year commemorates 50 years of celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories and achievements. Host or join local cultural performances, art exhibitions, family fun days, educational events and more. This year the theme is, ‘The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy’.
Ready to get involved? Go to naidoc.org.au and reconciliation.org.au to browse events and find out more.
IMAGES: Getty, RAA.
