A date with destiny

Maddie Hart has been inspired to help those in need in a new and creative way, by forming a Manjimup Regional AquaCentre 2020 lifeguard calendar to raise money for Habitat for Humanity.

Maddie said she first heard about Habitat for Humanity at a RYLA Camp in Perth, organised by the Rotary Club, and was inspired to join the cause.

The organisation works with families to build or improve a place they can call home, improving the health and wellbeing of families with the aim of breaking the cycle of poverty.

Maddie will travel to Vietnam for a week in mid-December to help with this process and said she had decided to create a calendar to raise money for the organisation.

“You have to raise a certain amount of money to go along so I thought a really fun way to go about that would be to create a calendar, kind of similar to those firefighter calendars you can get but with lifeguards instead,” she said.

“I needed quite a few people to get involved so I asked the guys who work here if they would mind being a part of this and they were all on board with it.”

She said the team at the aquatic centre had helped to put together a fantastic calendar with some great photographs included for each month.

“We had so much fun putting this all together and I am so glad I chose this way to raise the money,” Maddie said.

“I did not want to do a quiz night or something like that because I feel like that gets done quite a bit and I really wanted to do something that stands out.

“This is something people can purchase and have in their homes and it is hopefully something which will make them smile.”

Kirilly Evans from KE Photography took the photographs for the calendar about a month ago, after the idea had been given the green light by the Manjimup Shire Council.

“She came along and took all the photographs for us and so I just want to say a big thank you to her for helping out,” Maddie said.

“The calendars should be ready in about a week or so, I am just waiting for the final print to come through, Jeff Baker from Bridgetown Design and Print has donated his time to put it all together which was awesome of him.”

She said the best way to order one of the calendars was to email her at maddie1h7@live.com or message her on Facebook.

“If people do not want to purchase the calendar but would still like to donate to the cause then there is also a link on my Facebook page to go and do that,” Maddie said.

“So far 16 calendars, which cost $45 each, have been pre-ordered which has been so great and about $200 has been donated separate from the calendars too.”

She said 85 per cent of money raised would go towards Habitat for Humanity.

Maddie will fly to Vietnam on December 2 and will start building with the organisation on December 14.

“I have never done anything like this before but I am really excited to go,” she said.

“I am going with a friend too and it will be really great to share the experience with them.”

Maddie said in the future she would love to make the calendar and annual project and was looking at raising money for Shelter Box in the upcoming years.

“I would love to raise the money for Shelter Box through the calendar as well as take part in future builds with Habitat for Humanity,” she said.

“I really just want to thank everyone for donating their time to this project, it is a massive effort to pull something like this together and it could have been really expensive if they were not so generous.”