MentorMe Auction helps children and families overcome poverty

From rebuilding livelihoods lost in the Nepal earthquakes to providing small business opportunities in remote communities of Sri Lanka and Vietnam, funds raised through ChildFund Australia's inaugural MentorMe Auction will give a huge boost to children and families living in poverty in our region. The MentorMe Auction took place online in March 2016, with bidders competing to win an exclusive mentoring session with one of 10 high-profile Australian business leaders. In total, over $30,000 was raised by the MentorMe Auction through bids and donations. Carnival Australia executive chairman Ann Sherry AO took out the highest bid, with Pacific Magazine's Jackie Frank and Leo Burnett's Todd Sampson close behind. Janet Cameron, partnerships manager at ChildFund Australia, said: "The winning bidders have all been contacted and are incredibly excited to meet their mentors! The bidding was very close, with a flurry of activity down to the final seconds. We are also very thankful to the mentors who have agreed to do a runner-up session with second-place bidders, effectively doubling their impact on the lives of children and families in some of the world's poorest communities." ChildFund Australia CEO Nigel Spence said: "We are very pleased with the results of this inaugural MentorMe Auction. This was a new initiative for ChildFund Australia at a time when innovation is key to our success. Not only will the funds raised have an immediate impact on children and families living in extreme poverty, but increasing our connection with the business community here in Australia will help us develop some exciting new initiatives into the future." Among the auction winners is entrepreneur Sandy Forster, who will have the chance to sit down for an hour of one-on-one mentoring with Jackie Frank . "I thought it was a great win/win," says Sandy, whose auction funds will help provide small business loans for women in remote communities of Vietnam. I love to give people a hand up rather than a hand out... I also felt I would get something valuable from my session with Jackie and there's probably no other way I would get to spend an hour chatting with her." Aspiring TV writer Adrian Hurley, whose auction funds will help families in Nepal recover from last year's devastating earthquakes, was also thrilled to hear that he had secured a one-hour mentor session with award-winning TV producer  Jason Burrows : "I'm proud to be a part of such a great event and thank you for this opportunity!"

ChildFund Australia would like to thank all of the business leaders who donated their time and expertise to this initiative, along with everyone who bid!