It took about 2 weeks after arriving home for me to realise that my time wasn’t finished at PSF. The 6 months I spent in Pisco in 2024 were undoubtedly some of the greatest times of my life, and it motivated me to want to return, but with a means to make such a bigger difference.

Having a background in business and marketing I wanted to utilise my skills and maximise the amount of exposure and accumulative donations for PSF within the time I was due to return, a short 5 months. The reception I received from my family and friends when I arrived back home was fantastic; they all praised the work of PSF and wished that somehow they  too could become involved. 

As a result of this I arranged a PSF 2 course fundraiser dinner at a local hotel. I was quite amazed at the response from family and friends. Within a few weeks of the event circulating it had completely sold out and we were getting ready for a great evening of fun and activities for over 100 people. 

On the night we had a few different arrangements and alternative methods of donating. There was a raffle, auction, silent auction and also a segment on the night where people could donate directly towards PSF projects and community initiatives. I was extremely proactive in spreading the word of PSF amongst friends, family, local business and major sporting clubs, and as a result the goods included in the raffle and auctions were all donated so all proceeds were at 100% profit. The support received was quite overwhelming. On the night we had over 30 items up for sale and auction, including signed football jumpers from the Australian Football Leagues leading teams, wines, beers, photography, food hampers, books, clothing, gift vouchers, chocolate (a 10kg giant block of novelty chocolate), dress up costumes, fitness sessions, make up accessories and more. 

One of the biggest contributors on the night was the segment whereby people were able to donate directly towards PSF projects. I outlined some of PSF’s major operations, such as modular home, sand bag home, the Ludoteca etc and this part of the evening raised an amazing $6000. As a result of the evening all the items up for auction and raffle, the total profit figure at the end of the evening was just over AU$13,500 (Australian dollar is at parity with the US dollar). 

This evening just goes to show that it is not just us who believe that PSF is such an amazing place. Tell your family, tell your friends. Let local businesses know that there is something they can do which will create such a difference. All you have to do is be the middle man. It takes a lot of hard work, commitment and planning, but once you achieve something such as this not only will you feel personally gratified, you will know what a massive difference it will make to the lives of the amazing people of Pisco. 

You do not have to hold a fundraiser dinner event, use your skills. Think about what you are good at, and dedicate yourself to achieving a goal. Whether it is baking cakes, cooking a dinner, having a barbeque, holding a movie night or having a quiz night between your friends, there is an endless list of options of how you personally can contribute. 

When I was organising the fundraiser dinner I never dreamt of raising $13,500 for PSF, but it has happened and now I am seeing the direct effects of every dollar raised. Dream big, put your heart in to it, and the results will come.