For Give Back Month 2023, the SHAPE branches participated in a range of volunteering opportunities to support local community organisations, including leveraging our fitout and refurbishment expertise to bring new life to community centres.
SHAPE is committed to community health and wellbeing by supporting charities and not-for-profit organisations within Australia and overseas. In support of National Volunteer Week, each year in May, our branches donate their time to assist local organisations or charities aligned to our people and community’s needs.
This Give Back Month, over 125 SHAPE volunteers contributed $145,000 worth of materials, time and financial donations for local community organisations, such as the Cancer Council, Property Industry Foundation, RSPCA and many more.
The SHAPE NSW teams volunteered to assist with the refurbishment of the Redfern Youth Connect centre (RYC). The RYC is an Aboriginal controlled youth organisation, renowned for offering educational and leadership programs and out-of-hours care, to empower young individuals in the community.
Since September 2022, Michael Manikas, DLG SHAPE General Manager, has collaborated with organisations the likes of Lendlease, The Black Card, Altis Property, AGL, Bellaluce lighting, and Commonwealth Bank, to complete a full refurbishment of RYC’s new centre, rented by Connect Sydney.
To help complete the refurbishment, SHAPE+ and our generous subbies volunteered as part of Give Back Month by providing upgrades to the office space and a new open collaboration area, installing new kitchen joinery and appliances, and patching and painting. A total of $53,000 of materials, time and efforts was contributed for the refurbishment.
More than 15 SHAPE Sydney and Newcastle team members also contributed their time in a worker bee day to purchase new sports equipment, kitchen utensils, plants, stationery, and books, and tidy the final space. On the day, the team participated in a range of sporting activities and a BBQ with community members, fostering a sense of camaraderie between SHAPE and RYC.
More than 25 SHAPE Melbourne team members once again collaborated this year with Mullum Mullum Indigenous Gathering Place (MMIGP) to paint its administrative office space. MMIGP is a community controlled Aboriginal organisation committed to retaining, promoting, and strengthening Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural identity. SHAPE has a longstanding partnership with MMIGP, having completed a refurbishment of the centre, following severe damage due to flooding, back in 2020.
This year, teams worked across two weekends to complete the painting, after sourcing paints and materials from our generous subcontractors. Special thanks can be extended to JCA Contracting for sourcing the paint, as well as ALD Expert Demo and Revert Group, who provided bins and cleaning services.
SHAPE Gold Coast actively participated in the Property Industry Foundation (PIF) Regatta, a charity sailing event aimed at raising funds for PIF. Seven SHAPE employees and five of our clients were invited to participate in the yacht race. SHAPE have a longstanding relationship with PIF, which aims to bring together the property and construction industry in a unique collaboration to have a tangible impact on youth homelessness.
Another noteworthy initiative the SHAPE Gold Coast and Brisbane branches participated in was the Cancer Council’s Biggest Morning Tea, a community event that raises vital funds to make a big difference for those impacted by cancer. SHAPE hosted BBQs at various sites in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, raising an impressive cash donation of over $6,000 – 20% more than its target goal. Contributions were made by organisations and subcontractors such as Citibuild, EPS, Formcorp, ALD, Ace Commercial, Ascott Air, Continental, and others, as well as directly from the SHAPE Brisbane and Gold Coast team members.
This Give Back Month, over 125 SHAPE volunteers contributed $145,000 worth of materials, time and financial donations for local community organisations
The SHAPE Canberra volunteered at Roundabout Canberra, to lend a hand with moving furniture and reconfiguring the charity’s office and storage area. The team has partnered with Roundabout Canberra, a charity organisation that provides safe, high-quality essential baby and children’s items to families in need, for more than four years.
The Adelaide SHAPE branch partnered with subcontractors to refurbish a local women’s shelter, creating a new entry area, reception desk, and update the meeting room and corridor. These enhancements provide a safe and functional environment for the staff at the women’s shelter to meet with clients.
Ten dedicated SHAPE team members worked alongside generous subcontractors and organisations, including Integrated Air Services, TPR Electrical, Master Linings, SA Commercial Blinds, Renique, Signarama Norwood,Adelaide Painting & Decorating, AFG, AClass Joinery, and Newscorp.
In addition to the women’s shelter refurbishment, 10 members from SHAPE Adelaide also participated in the RSPCA Million Paws Walk, a highly anticipated walkathon event aimed at raising funds for animals in need. The family-friendly event, held at the Botanic Gardens, offered an opportunity for everyone to come together and enjoy the day while supporting a noble cause.
Focusing on sustainable initiatives for Give Back Month in 2023, SHAPE Perth engaged with Perth NRM, an environmental management and sustainability organisation to participate in urban revegetation and coastal conservation activities.
The team spent a day re-planting native vegetation in Lewington Reserve, following a bushfire in the area two years ago. This rejuvenation endeavour also helps to provide food sources for the local wildlife, particularly the Black Cockatoo. Once finished, SHAPE also participated in a beach clean-up.
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land, sea, and skies. We’re grateful to those who have cared for, nurtured, and protected Country for future generations, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present, and emerging.
