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About Room to Read Chapters
Room to Read depends on our chapters to help us achieve our annual fundraising goal and to accomplish our mission of providing educational opportunities to 10 million children by the year 2020. Since 2006, the chapters have helped source over a third of Room to Read's operating budget and have an equally ambitious goal for 2009. Our chapters are comprised of groups of dedicated individuals who have made a long-term volunteer commitment to promoting Room to Read within their networks and communities.
The Sydney Chapter
The Sydney chapter of Room to Read met for the first time in early 2008. There is now a growing group of committed volunteers working towards the official launch in February 2009 when John Wood, Co-Founder and CEO of Room to Read, will be visiting Sydney. John was living in Australia, working in a senior executive position for Microsoft, when he made his historic decision to go trekking in Nepal - the journey which inspired Room to Read. He is passionate about Australia and looking forward to his return.
Meet the Sydney Chapter Leaders
| Jennie Orchard – Jennie Orchard became involved with Room to Read while living in Hong Kong. With a background in book publishing, she was drawn to Room to Read's local language publishing programme - and particularly interested in its operations in Laos. | |
| John Keith – John Keith's interest and involvement in Room to Read also started while he was living in Hong Kong and was spurred on through a combination of story-loving children and all his family's travels in Asia. Jennie and John both returned to Sydney during the past year and are now working to establish Room to Read in Australia, with the Sydney chapter due to be launched officially in February 2009. |
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Upcoming Events
Wine Gala
Wednesday, 4 February, 2009
6:30PM
Shangri-La Hotel
176 Cumberland Street
The Sydney chapter's launch event on 4 February 2009 will be a prestigious Wine Gala, jointly
hosted by Founder and CEO John Wood with Jancis Robinson OBE and Master of Wine. The evening
will be supported by the Financial Times and held at the Shangri-La Hotel. Wines for
the evening have been donated by a number of Australia's leading boutique wineries, including
Kilikanoon and Shaw + Smith.
Tickets cost $250 each, or $3500 for a corporate table
of 10. Please contact Jennie Orchard at sydney@roomtoread.org if you are interested in
attending.
Past Events
Information Evening at The American Club
29 October 2008
Over 100 people attended Room to Read's first public gathering in Australia. Friends,
volunteers and sponsors sipped wine very generously donated by Saddler's Creek Wines in the
Hunter Valley and listened to Sydney chapter leaders Jennie Orchard and John Keith introduce
Room To Read and outline how we can all contribute to a successful launch when John Wood
visits in February 2009.
Better Than Chocolate Book Launch
19 September 2008
Better Than Chocolate is a delicious assortment of writings which has been published by The
Writers' Dozen, with Room to Read as the beneficiary. The book was launched at The Writers'
Centre on the evening of Friday 19th September, with Room to Read volunteers invited to join
the celebration.
The Writers' Group is an inspiring, dynamic, talented group, and
it's wonderful that they have aligned themselves to Room to Read. For more information, visit
www.thewritersdozen.com.
Room to Read Team Enters City to Surf
10 August 2008
On a crisp and sunny August morning, 26 Room to Readers took to the streets of Sydney for the
annual City 2 Surf Race, an iconic Sydney event and a most fitting beginning to Room to Read's
Sydney journey. With the Room to Read logo on our backs, we ran, walked and talked the 14
kilometres from the City of Sydney to the famous Bondi Beach.
And here is what Room
to Read Founder and CEO John Wood said about our event: "Great to see!!! I love knowing
that there are Room to Read teams all over the world, all pulling together towards a common
goal!"
Laughter, Learning and Luxury
8 April 2008
Viktoria Orizarska is a finance professional who has taken a year off from her job in London
to travel the world, raising money and awareness for Room to Read's Girls' Education
programme. Her personal commitment is to send 100 girls back to school.
While in
Sydney, she and a friend organized Sydney's first (unofficial) Room to Read event, a fantastic
night of fashion and comedy.
Book launch: Project Sahara - Pressure Point
28 February 2008
In March 2008, David and Mark Simon - brothers from Sydney's northern beaches -
participated in Le Marathon des Sables, a 6-day footrace across the Sahara Desert, one of the
most physically and mentally challenging footraces in the world. Their book, Project
Sahara - Pressure Point, describes their extraordinary preparations for the race and also
their personal philosophies on life, family and business.
The Simon brothers are
passionate philanthropists, and they support Room to Read, understanding the need to promote
literacy and reading. For further information about Project Sahara, please visit www.projectsahara.com.
Volunteer With the Sydney Chapter
We're thrilled to hear of your interest in getting involved with the Sydney Chapter! Volunteering with a Room to Read chapter is not only a great way to help further Room to Read's mission, but also to meet new people! Volunteer opportunities include helping to plan events, giving small presentations about Room to Read's work, and introducing Room to Read to new supporters! If you would like to learn more, please fill out our Volunteer Application (Microsoft Word, 37kB) and email it to sydney@roomtoread.org. Please note that because these email addresses are managed by volunteers, you may not get an immediate response.
Are you planning an event in the Sydney area that you want the chapter to get involved with, or would you like to plan a fundraising event to benefit Room to Read? If so, please fill out a Fundraising Event Form (Microsoft Word, 37kB), email it to volunteer@roomtoread.org, and a staff member will follow up with you to ensure your form is sent to the Sydney Chapter!
Make a Donation
Thank you for supporting Room to Read's work! There are a number of different ways for you to make a donation to Room to Read, and we are happy to designate your donation toward the program and/or country of your choice. Of course, we always appreciate unrestricted funds as well, which allow us to use your gift strategically. Please note that your donation will not be used to support chapter activities since they are comprised completely of volunteers. However, we do like to know how our donors heard about our work, so to get started, please click on "Make a Donation" below and we'll know the Sydney Chapter sent you!
