Media Releases
Toyota Tour de OROC donation 2024
19 June 2024
Media release: Most successful Toyota tour de OROC in history - donates to Macquarie Home Stay
The Toyota tour de OROC as a fundraising event presented a cheque for $235,400 to Macquarie Home Stay following their successful event held in March this year.
Chair of the event committee Ben O’Brien could not be prouder of the support for this year's ride. “The support we received from our community absolutely amazed us. It was our largest riding peloton to complete the ride, the largest number of female riders, and to top it off being the largest amount in history raised is a thrill to us all”.
Events such as this couldn’t run without a wonderful cohort of sponsors who were featured across this year’s riding jersey, of course the riders themselves and the support crew. In each town where the group stayed, some type of event was held as a dinner and fundraiser, and that brought the community together.
“Our last donation to Macquarie Home Stay for $177,500 was a wonderful achievement, a very tangible show of support by the communities who rely on this important patient accommodation facility. To get to $235,400 this time is testament to the hard work our committee put into running this year’s event and also to the people who have supported us financially in raising such a large amount,” said Ben.
Macquarie Home Stay provides accommodation in Dubbo for patients across northern and western NSW who have to travel for specialist medical care. Stage 2 of their expansion is under construction, with the “CWA of NSW Guesthouse'' to include 26 rooms that will support patients and families attending the Western Cancer Centre for treatment. This is expected to be completed late 2024.
Managing Director of Macquarie Home Stay Rod Crowfoot said “I'm genuinely lost for words to describe just how much we appreciate and value this donation. We know this is a culmination of many hundreds of volunteer hours, personal sacrifices have been made and there have been very deliberate decisions by so many people to choose to support this event and as a result, us at Home Stay. To all the donors and sponsors, those who have supported the event in any way, we thank you.”
“The proceeds of the 2024 Toyota Tour de OROC ride directly supports the construction you see on site today, making a valuable and timely financial contribution to the cost of the expansion” Rod stated.
President of the Rotary Club of Dubbo South David Duffy who presented the cheque commented “Macquarie Home Stay is a natural fit for us at Rotary. Those people out there who use Home Stay, their needs and remoteness needs the support that Rotary can provide. Our community, being the organising committee of the tour consisted of 13 members, 131 sponsors led by naming rights sponsor Dubbo City Toyota, there were 10 Rotary clubs involved in the tour somewhere in the trip, 26 riders, 2 guest riders and 10 visiting riders, 300+ people attend functions on the tour itself, 1,050 people made donations or sponsored riders thru gofundme pages and many many raffle ticket sales.”“This is a momentous occasion for 2 reasons. It’s the biggest cheque ever given to MHS by us, and through Tour de OROC, Destination outback and other fundraising activities, we have just clicked over $1,000,000 in donations since 2013 for Macquarie Home Stay” David proudly commented.
In handing over the cheque, David mentioned the impressive contribution it is, and in doing so he is presenting it on behalf of the many thousands of people from Western Communities who use and support MHS.
President of the board of Macquarie Home Stay Andrew Single in receiving the cheque commented “Thankyou for the message that you’ve shared time and time again. It’s not only you all getting out there and telling people what Rod and the team do, it’s also showing that we are worth the fight. Getting out there fighting thru the kilometres, fighting to get sponsorship, fighting to support this place. It’s a very clear message to the community and we are grateful for it.”
With the end of the financial year fast approaching, many donors are taking advantage of our charitable status and making their tax deductible donations before 30 June. It’s a great opportunity to support a charity where the proceeds remain in the region and it supports the residents of the region at the same time.
A presentation took place at Macquarie Home Stay Tuesday 18 June 2024.
www.macquariehomestay.com.au
Media contact:
Tour de OROC - Ben O’Brien 0409 697 860 benjamin.f.obrien@gmail.com
Rotary Club Dubbo South - David Duffy 0427 043 743 president@rotarydubbosouth.club
Macquarie Home Stay - Rod Crowfoot 0427 275 755 rod@macquariehomestay.com.au
