Ronaldo Mulitalo’s commitment to help better the lives of homeless youth through his fundraising efforts with Stepping Stone House has been recognised by many in the community, with plenty of generous donations coming through as a result.
Ivan Lampret from Gibson and Partners Real Estate at Cronulla was one such person moved by Mulitalo’s story and his passionate plea to assist those less fortunate, the local businessman today making a $1,000 donation to Stepping Stone House, while pledging $100 for every try scored by the Sharks for the remainder of the 2020 season.
And before this weekend’s round of matches, with the Sharks scoring the equal most number of tries of any team in the NRL competition with 66, Mulitalo hopes that Lampret’s donation turns into an even more sizeable one.
“Obviously, we want to score as many tries as possible, but this gives us a little extra incentive,” Mulitalo said. “Myself and Stepping Stone House certainly appreciate Ivan’s generosity, every dollar counts towards improving the lives of these kids and here’s hoping we can score plenty of tries in the next five games and then into the finals.”
Having seen the struggles experienced by homeless youth and harking back to his own difficult times growing up, Mulitalo jumped at the chance to become an ambassador for Stepping Stone House, before launching a campaign labelled ‘Give 5, Get 5’.
As a part of the initiative Mulitalo committed to donating $5 every day for 25 days, while nominating some of his Sharks teammates to do the same.
With media supporting his efforts and helping to spread the word, much-needed funds have been raised which will go a long way towards improving the lives of homeless youth.
Stepping Stone House receives no government funding and relies on community donations and support, with the award-winning charity giving displaced young people a safe home with educational and employment opportunities.
Youth homelessness is an issue in need of attention, with 43,000 children and youth currently homeless as well as 47,000 who are in care. One in three people experiencing homelessness in Australia is under 25 and 70 per cent of those who leave home do so because of domestic violence, with the additional stress of isolation and COVID-19 adding to the numbers and issues being faced.
Stepping Stone House supports these young people well beyond the age at which normal funding cuts off. They actively care for people aged 14 to 24 years old—and the care is life changing – with 33 percent of Stepping Stone House graduates completing tertiary education, compared with just two percent of those in state foster care.
Further to the work they do, 100 per cent of Stepping Stone graduates have somewhere permanent to call home at the age of 19 and all are employed by the time they leave the program.
Mulitalo’s initial aim was to raise $10,000 for Stepping Stone House through #give5get5 with the target now set much higher. The website (https://steppingstonehouse.com.au/donate-now/) for #give5get5 will include a variety of donation options, so everyone with as little as $5 can join in.
To find out more about Stepping Stone House, the work they do and services they provide, CLICK HERE to see their website.
