WALLARA’S Potter Street headquarters shone brightly as night fell on Dandenong on 14 March.
The disability services provider’s second Dinner Under the Stars charity fund-raiser brought 135 business and community leaders together in a purpose-built marquee in the car park of the premises.
The sold-out event raised more than $35,000 for Wallara’s Wish Foundation, which funds one-off grants to Wallara service users for special equipment or experiences to improve their quality of life, where government or private funding is inadequate or unavailable.
Guests enjoyed pre-dinner drinks and entertainment from students from St John’s Regional College in the accommodation facility’s palm tree courtyard.
Dandenong-raised 2011 Australian of the Year, Simon McKeon, joined a line-up of VIP guests to celebrate the diversity of people with disability.
He said The Giving Pledge, a campaign encouraging the wealthiest people in the US to bequeath most of their wealth to philanthropic causes, would be a good model for Australia.
Black Caviar’s part-owners Colin and Jannene Madden shared an insight to what the future held for the unbeaten racehorse.
A moving highlight was when aspiring singer/songwriter Emmanuel Kelly took to the stage and sang John Lennon classic Imagine.
His rendition of the song in an audition for Channel 7’s X Factor last year attracted more than 30 million views on YouTube.
The 18-year-old suffered limb deficiencies as a result of chemical warfare and was rescued from an Iraqi orphanage 12 years ago.
Mr Kelly encouraged the audience to dream big – the title of a song he wrote for movie soundtrack Crooked Arrows.
He has an 18-city tour of the US and Canada ahead, but promised to make it back to Australia for Wallara’s annual concert at the end of the year – hopefully in person, but by video link at least.
“Emmanuel Kelly is a class act,” Wallara chief executive Phil Hayes-Brown said.
“Within minutes of arriving, he had invited some of our service users to join him singing one of his songs which is what social inclusion is all about.
“Emmanuel’s can-do spirit is exactly the attitude we encourage at Wallara.”
Guests received an insight into the world of disability, enjoyed gourmet on-site catering and dug deep into their pockets at the top end auction and raffle.
To find out more about Wallara events and activities, call corporate partnerships manager Karen Scholey on 0418 537 711 or visit www.wallara.com.au.
