Since publishing an October 17 ‘save the date’ event on social media, the Deniliquin Mental Health Awareness Group has received enough interest to consider hosting two events with Dokic.
The group is now asking for community input to ensure they are able to plan the events to reach as large an audience as possible.
Deni MHAG member Lourene Liebenberg said without grant funding support for this event, it must be planned in the “best possible way” to maximise the impact for the community.
“After securing the date with Jelena, Deni MHAG applied for funding in an attempt to reduce costs to the community.
“However, we were not successful in this particular funding round.
“While disappointed in the outcome of this funding, we are determined to make this event happen for our community.
“We know from previous big events that if we spread costs out over more than one event, and potentially capture a bigger audience and call on community support, that we can make it happen.”
Dokic has confirmed possible availability for a second event on October 18.
Deni MHAG is asking the community to indicate their preference and interest in the two events planned, by a poll.
This poll is pinned to the top of the Deni MHAG Facebook page.
“Currently we are looking at two events - a Women’s Gala event (inclusive of catering) on the evening of October 17 and a daytime theatre seating event for all of the community aged 16 years and over (no catering),’ Mrs Liebenberg said.
“Whilst an estimate of prices for these events are provided in the poll, the final cost of tickets will be determined by how much corporate sponsorship and donations can be secured leading up to release of the tickets.
“We know that coming up to the end of the financial year, organisations might have some small buckets of funding available for charitable causes.
“With Deni MHAG being a registered charity with deductible gift recipient status, all donations or sponsorships are tax deductible.
“Ultimately, our goal is to make this event, the messaging and the BE BRAVE Campaign, that will be launched in October, as accessible as possible for the community.”
A former world number four tennis player, Dokic embodies resilience and triumph.
Behind her awe-inspiring journey, she endured significant adversity and trauma, which shadowed her success and affected her mental health.
But Dokic emerged as a survivor, determined not just to survive but to thrive.
Anyone interested in supporting the October event/s is asked to contact Deni MHAG via email on denimhag@gmail.com, or call Mrs Liebenberg on 0428 281 060.
Deniliquin Mental Health Awareness Group is a not-for-profit local mental health charity run by volunteers.
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