Many of you may be following the news on the widespread fires in Australia. How heart wrenching and a concern for us all to watch the horrific news, photos and videos of its devastation! It's been very painful to sit back and watch while feeling helpless and leaving us all full of despair. A couple of weeks ago, I went to dinner with designer friends and the topic of the devastation in Australia came up in conversation. The wildlife really saddened us, the koalas, kangaroos and all the animals that have been burned, injured or died from the fires. We felt so helpless, yet wanted so badly to do something. Anything!!! How could the three of us make a difference? We then discussed giving out a couple of raffle baskets for donations at an event that Miko + Boone was going to host in a couple days. Perfect! My motto is that "we can all help each other stay in business". Why not use the same philosophy thattogether our design community can band together to help Australia?
Working with designers on a daily basis, we felt strongly that they too were most likely feeling…HELPLESS!
We collected $480 in donations at the event from approximately 30 designers and our team. Miko + Boone matched it to make the total $960.00!!! Raising this money with very few designers gave me an idea to research further on how we can spread the word to more designers, so that they too can help make a difference for Australia!
I spent hours and hours researching which charity to give the donations to. It was important to me to make sure that the money donated would go to a reputable foundation. Then, I found the foundation I was looking for - WIRES! Just to be sure, I needed a second opinion and contacted my designer friend that I had dinner with, Susie. She has a big heart for animals as much, or even more than I do (if that’s possible)! She confirmed that WIRES was the one she researched and would donate to as well.
The next step was to find a fundraising platform that our interior design community could donate to. I found “mycause” on the WIRES website and started the Interior Designers Making A Difference fundraiser to collect money. Here, you can donate and it will be a tax write off. The link to the fundraiser is: https://www.mycause.com.au/page/221812/interior-designers-making-a-difference
Please join us in spreading the word on social media, asking those who support you- your clients, friends, family- and donate to this much needed cause.
Scroll down for more information about the fires in Australia and WIRES.
Let this campaign be the first of many campaigns to not only make homes a beautiful place, but the world we live in as well.
TOGETHER OUR INDUSTRY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR THE WILDLIFE IN AUSTRALIA AND BEYOND. ~ XO, Amy Ferrer, owner of Miko + Boone Trade
Won’t you join us in helping the wildlife and their habitat? With 1/3 of the population of the Koala’s and Kangaroos perished in the wildfires and over 1 billion animals have died from it, they need help.
See more below for more information about the organization - Wires”
WIRES is The New South Wales-based Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service Inc., Australia's largest wildlife rescue organization. They are a wildlife charity that relies on community support to operate rescues and care services for wildlife 365 days a year and are extremely grateful for support at this difficult time.Donations fund the rescue and care of animals affected by the fires. In December, WIRES received more than 20,000 calls and volunteers attended more than 3,300 rescues, according to the organization's website. All animal rescuers are volunteers. Learn more at wires.org.au.
