The APA committee was formed in 2014 by a group of women who play polocrosse and have a strong connection with the land. Determined to help rural Australians, the ambitious team sought to raise money for rural charities through holding fun events and galas. In their first year, money was raised for drought-relief charity Aussie Helpers and after the success of the inaugural ball, CEO, Kelly Foran, and her team decided to run the event again this year with the same — if not bigger — success.
Keeping in theme with helping rural Aussies, this year’s ball was associated with the Friendly Faces Helping Hands Foundation (FFHH), an organisation that helps support people in rural and regional areas who face medical crises. More than $20,000 was raised for FFHH in the hopes of engaging at least five regional communities to assist with not only creating awareness for the charity and the services it provides, but to also successfully inform and educate these areas about health services, in particularly mental health.
Open to donations, the exciting night offered auctions and raffles, thanks to numerous sponsors, but it was Kelly’s touching story that inspired and encouraged guests to support the cause even further. With a live band filling the atmosphere with music and guests dancing until closing, the ball was a great effort and accomplishment thanks to the APA committee.
