Leading property investment company PAYCE has announced a new sponsorship deal with the Australian Kookaburra Kids Foundation based in Caringbah, which supports children living with adults suffering mental illness. The sponsorship is worth $250,000 over five years.
The funding announcement was made at a major charity dinner in Sydney with special guest Hon Scott Morrison, Minister for Social Services and Federal Minister for Cook.
PAYCE Chairman Brian Boyd said he was delighted to be able to assist children confronted with a member of the family suffering a major mental illness.
“It is difficult to believe that many children often do not get the support they need when an adult family member is suffering a mental illness,” he said.
“We trust that our contribution will assist the Kookaburra Kids Foundation grow the excellent work it is doing assisting children cope during a family crisis.”
The Foundation began in 2002 with a respite camp for just 16 children – over 1100 children are now registered for support.
It provides intervention and education in a fun way through camp and activity programs.
PAYCE General Manager Dominic Sullivan said the sponsorship support was strongly aligned to the company’s culture.
“PAYCE is not just about building apartments, we pride ourselves on developing new communities.
“A key element of this approach is supporting existing community groups which do great work.
“Kookaburra Kids is one of those community groups providing much-needed support to children in real need,” he said.
Mr Sullivan said every child deserved support when a family member is struggling with mental illness.
“As a parent it is hard to imagine how challenging it is for children who are called on to act like an adult,” he said.
“The camps are an amazing initiative, allowing kids to be kids and enjoying themselves, but also equipping them with skills to manage when a parent is ill.”
Mr Sullivan handed over a cheque for $50,000 at the function, representing the first contribution under the new sponsorship arrangement.
NOTE: PAYCE was founded in 1978, with major urban developments across Sydney, including Homebush Bay, Zetland and Kirrawee in Sydney’s south. The company’s East Village mixed residential, retail and commercial project at Victoria Park in Zetland won the Development of the Year at the Urban Taskforce’s 2015 industry awards and the Best Retail and Commercial development in NSW and ACT at the 2015 Urban Development Institute of Australia’s Awards of Excellence. PAYCE recently formed a Foundation Partnership with the Sydney Street Choir to support the choir financially and corporately over the next three years.
