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Last year we successfully reached our fundraising goal of $10,000.00, with all money donated to our charity, Youth off the Streets. This year we want to double that amount for the ‘Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick’. This event is all about family, participation and giving back. We feel that our youth and children, particularly those that are less fortunate are our future.
Part of this challenge is to raise $20,000.00 for Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick.
Our race day team, Everday Hero, will be participating in the race by running on behalf of all donators and sponsors. We will also be holding an After Party Awards Ceremony to thank everyone involved.
Consolidated Lawyers has been involved with in Penrith since March 2007 assisting with their “Legal Issues” program.
The Program is aimed at providing the disadvantaged Youth of Penrith with a general understanding of the legal system and how it applies to young people. The conclusion of the 8 week program was celebrated with a BBQ which was proudly sponsored and hosted by Consolidated Lawyers. On 21 June, two of our staff members Lara Wentworth (Senior Lawyer) and Simon Eldahr (Paralegal) attended the Inter-youth Centre in Penrith to cook up a storm for the youth of Penrith. There they met with the workers of the Inter-youth Centre and a group of kids all from different walks of life each with their own story to tell. The bbq was a great success with plenty of good food, good company and smiles all round. The staff at Interyouth Penrith are doing a fantastic job working with young people at risk, to remove social barriers and assist them on the pathway to employment and further education. We are thankful that we have had this opportunity to assist with this worthwhile organisation and we will continue to be involved. 
In 2007 Consolidated Lawyers is participating in a great cause as a “silver sponsor” of “Team Rafters”. CL is sponsoring a client that has chosen to participate in the New York Marathon in memory of his father who passed away last year. Our client, Mr Adrian Raftery, will be running alongside 37,000 others, in an effort to raise a minimum of $90,000.00 for (NSW division). Mr Raftery has pledged to make a difference to the lives of others facing cardiovascular disease – the disease that kills more Australians than any other. Every 10 minutes, an Australian family loses a loved one to cardiovascular disease. By becoming part of the “Team Rafters” and helping sponsor Mr Raftery, we can all help contribute to a great cause. Any persons interested in supporting this cause, please click on 
 
Each year Consolidated Lawyers has a programme of supporting a particular charity. In 2006, all our staff participated in the City to Surf Fun Run event in Sydney and through individual fundraising and Consolidated Lawyers’ contribution with our friends and partners involved in the Fun Run campaign, we raised $10,000.00. Our community involvement highlight of the year was the attendance of Father Chris Riley, the Founder of Youth Off The Streets at our offices where a presentation and handing over of the $10,000.00 cheque was made. We will be assisting Youth Off The Streets again in 2007 and competing in the City to Surf. Consolidated Lawyers also accepts a number of pro-bono (discount or free) referrals each year to assist members of the community in difficult legal situations who do not have the resources and whose legal rights would otherwise not be protected. We would obtain these referrals under the Pro-Bono Program of the Law Society of New South Wales, of which we are a member and also from our own community legal centre contacts. Consolidated Lawyers contributes to Nepean InterYouth Services at Penrith. The service provides educational and personal development courses assisting young people to gain entry to TAFE and other pre-vocational courses including job seeking skills, resources, referrals, literacy and numeracy training. Our involvement is specifically in the job placement and employment training programme (JPET) which is targeted to homeless or at risk young people in the 15 – 21 age group. This programme helps with training, employment, income, entitlements, self-esteem, family mediation, substance abuse and other issues. Groups include wards of the state, ex-offenders and refugees. One of the aims is to help young people stay at school or return to school. Consolidated Lawyers helps with advice and conducts seminars as to legal rights and responsibilities, representation and advocacy for these young people. During 2007, two of our Senior Lawyers are mentoring and coaching young people in the Inter-School Mock Trial Competition. We are sponsoring Our Lady of Lebanon Catholic College Harris Park. The Mock Trial completion is run with the co-ordination of the Law Society of which our firm and all Lawyers are members. It is a major initiative by our professional body to develop civic spirit in our schools. The Competition is a significant undertaking for our Lawyers in terms of the preparation required. In Hornsby, we have a Senior Lawyer available, usually weekly on Sundays for duties as a Justice of the Peace at Hornsby City Library and also on selected weekday evenings. We provide assistance with legal forms and general advice to members of the community. |
