SONY FOUNDATION'S MAGAZINE | ISSUSE #63 AUTUMN ISSUE 2020 STEVE SMITH OPENS SONY FOUNDATION’S BRISBANE YOU CAN CENTRE WHARF 4WARD FUNDS FIFTH YOU CAN CENTRE BUSHFIRE APPEAL FOR YOUNG AUSSIES WWW.SONYFOUNDATION.ORG Sony Foundation Newsletter A Message Chris O’Brien Lifehouse home 765m2 Largest You Can Centre from our CEO of next You Can Centre in Australia Thanks to funds raised at Wharf4Ward 2019, Sony Foundation has committed $1.5 million to build Dear Corporate Partners a fifth You Can Centre in the national network. 4 Apartments In addition to being a hub for specialised clinical Accommodation for regional and and Supporters, care, support services and peer support for rural patients and their families This year has proven to be a challenging 15 – 25 year olds with cancer, this You Can Centre and difficult time for many of us. will be the first to offer patients and their families As Australians united to support from regional and rural areas access to free A home away from home communities devastated by the terrible and appropriate accommodation. projects. What started as a passionate idea has bushfires, we were then faced with the arrival of Including a music studio, group resulted in many lives touched and a lasting The Centre is currently in planning and COVID-19, one of the biggest challenges our society lounge room, yoga area, kitchen, dining, legacy of his great leadership. due to open in 2021. has faced. In response to these unprecedented laundry and breakout spaces disasters, Sony Foundation has remained On behalf of the Board Directors, I would like to committed to improving the health and wellbeing thank John for his dedication to Sony Foundation for over six years, delivering many projects that of young Australians through the establishment To stay up to date with developments have, and will continue to, improve of our Bushfire Appeal and Bushfire Appeal of Sony Foundation’s Bushfire Appeal the health and wellbeing of young adapting our programmatic or to donate to the project, visit www. Australians. John will be recognised for young Aussies work to address the new sonyfoundation.org/BushfireAppeal ‘normal’ for our communities. as the inaugural Patron of the On February 16 at the Fire Fight Australia I would like to take this Melbourne You Can Centre, and Concert in Sydney in front of 75,000 opportunity to thank the Sony we hope we see his smiling face fans, Sony Foundation Ambassador Group of Companies and our for many years to come. Current Guy Sebastian announced a $200,000 Corporate Partners for their Board Director, and CEO of Nova donation on behalf of Sony Foundation continued support during Entertainment, Cathy O’Connor has to the Bushfire Appeal. these trying times. been appointed Chair bringing These funds are part of an ongoing Bushfire incredible strategic leadership Appeal established by Sony Foundation to In February, we farewelled John Kirby AM, Outgoing Chairman, experience and a passion for support young Aussies in the communities our Chairman, John Kirby AM. and Sophie Ryan, CEO, Sony Foundation, Sony Foundation’s programs. hardest hit who will be dealing with the John’s brilliant guidance and at Wharf4Ward 2013 vision has been integral in many long term effects for some time Sony Foundation achieving record fundraising to come. Research shows that following Take care and stay safe. and forging exciting new ground. Under John’s a natural disaster, 27% of children and leadership, Sony Foundation opened the Sincerely, adolescents suffered moderate or severe Melbourne You Can Centre at Peter MacCallum PTSD. Natural disasters are a unique form Cancer Centre, funded innovative VR Cancer Sophie Ryan of trauma as a result of losing one’s local Research, opened the Brisbane You Can Centre, Chief Executive Officer, services, social networks, sports club and committed to funding an adolescent Palliative Sony Foundation Australia opportunities for social gatherings. Care Unit at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Sony Foundation’s Bushfire Appeal also launched our You Can Fertility Preservation Service. includes funds raised during the annual John was also instrumental in the development A huge SHOUT out to our Twitch Charity Stream, ‘Gaming4Life’, proceeds of our iconic Melbourne event, River4Ward which Corporate Partner OMD for from the special ‘Artists Unite for Firefight’ CD has contributed funding to many of these great designing this issue. featuring international and local artists and more initiatives to be announced. Pictured here: Sony Music Artists: Guy Sebastian, Amy Shark, Pete Murray, Olivia Newton-John 2 • Shout • Issue 63 • Summer 2020 & Jess Mauboy with Denis Handlin AO, Chairman and CEO Sony Music Entertainment Australia & New Zealand, and Sophie Ryan, CEO, Sony Foundation Australia Top Silver Donors Luke Hepworth - $10,000 Seven Network - $11,000 Nanette Ainsworth - $10,000 Pledges APRA AMCOS - $10,000 Network 10 - $10,000 Cricket Australia - $10,000 P2 Content Agency - $10,000 Gold Donors digiDIRECT - $10,000 Panthera Property Group - $10,000 News Corp Australia - $15,000 Endemol Shine Australia - $10,000 Spotify - $10,000 Nine Entertainment - $15,000 Fetch TV - $10,000 The Network Group - $10,000 NOVA Entertainment - $15,000 Infinet Group - $10,000 The Star - $10,000 Valmont - $10,000 14 celebrity Record-breaking hosts from 7 major media Wharf4Ward networks $1.52 million raised to fund th 31 20 5 You Can Centre pledges advertising raising packages over donated $240,000 Wharf4Ward 2019 was one for the Australia. A highlight of the day was record books, as 1,000 of Sydney’s Tones and I’s international hit ‘Dance 1,000 elite and leading executives took Monkey’ – with over 1 billion streams, 8 guests over the iconic Woolloomooloo Wharf the Wharf was brought to their feet! luxury live as they unified to raise a record- Adding more star power to the event auction breaking $1.52 million funding Sony was the record number of hosts items 100+ Foundation’s fifth You Can Centre, including Shane Warne, Ben Fordham, companies to be built at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse. Wippa, Angela Bishop, Peter Overton, present soaked up the sun and joined the Known as Sydney’s longest lunch, Samantha Armytage, Larry Emdur, celebrations on Woolloomooloo Wharf. this entertainment extravaganza Adam Gilchrist, Samantha Dawson treated guests to performances by and Isa Guha. Sony Foundation Thanks to legendary cricketer Shane Event AVMIN Air Charter, Johnson, Ovolo Hotels, The Arnott’s Foundation, chart-topping Sony Music artists Ambassadors and celebrity guests Warne for hosting the pledge segment All Districts Limousines, Two Suns, Santa Vittoria, Pepsico, Coleman Group, Tones and I, Jessica Mauboy, Stan included Johnathan Thurston, Lincoln on the day, with a record-breaking Partners Club Med, Cricket Australia, The Music Box, Wink Models, Nique, Grazia, Bounce, Sweaty Walker, Samantha Jade and Brad Cox Younes, Angie Kent, Roxy Jacenko, Matt $240,000+ donated for regional TripADeal, Fox Sports, Porsche Centre Sydney Banana Boat, Joco, Betty, Orchard Thieves, Queen who all dedicated their performances de Groot, Matty J, Natarsha Belling, patients to fund the family apartments Quantum, Sony Music South, DHL, Fox Gordon, Snap Darlinghurst, St Hair & Beauty, Remedy, to the You Can Champions across Richard Reid and Joe Hildebrand, who at the new You Can Centre. Entertainment Australia, G.H.Mumm, George P. Waimete, Stay South, Sally Hansen, Mentos, Trilogy. 4 • Shout • Issue 63 • Summer 2020 Sony Foundation Newsletter Molly’s moment of gratitude An excerpt from You Can Champion, Molly Dawson’s speech at the opening of the Brisbane You Can Centre. “I met a beautiful girl in August through the Steve Smith Sony Foundation. Myself, her and all the other You Can Champs got to walk through this centre and check it all out for the first time. officially opens This was a Monday. She was so lovely and we just all hung out and chatted all things cancer. On the Thursday I got a message saying she Sony Foundation’s had passed away. That’s when reality really hit me in the face. I was fighting for my life. I don’t want to say her name out of respect, Brisbane You but she was a truly gorgeous soul and I wish she could be standing with all of us and have seen this centre be officially opened. With the Can Centre opening of this new You Can Centre it will bring a sense of calm and safety to young people that are unfortunately stuck at the hospital. Look around, it does not feel like we Thanks to Sony Foundation’s donation Queensland’s largest hospital are in the hospital. The colours are so calming of $1.8 million, the previously disused is now home to the state’s first It’s hard enough to be a teenager. But being someone I want to and if you haven’t sat on the couches rooftop is now a state-of-the-art fully-dedicated centre for young yet you are missing out. To have such a purpose-built Centre for adolescent acknowledge the people receiving cancer treatment, of that age going through cancer, I can’t imagine how beautiful and peaceful place to escape to and young adults with a cancer thanks to the collaborative efforts hard that is. When I was younger I lost a friend to Sony Foundation, in-between treatment and appointments is diagnosis. The Centre has been of Sony Foundation and the Royal you should be so overwhelming it’s hard to put into words. cancer, so I think it’s important that as a community designed as a social haven away Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. from the hospital ward, with a kitchen, really proud Unfortunately, I never got to use this space Australian cricketer and Sony we improve the situation for others in the future.” relaxation areas, Sony entertainment while in treatment.