News & Events: Pillar in the Community

Three years ago, Pillar stopped printing and posting paper Christmas cards and instead designed our own Pillar Christmas e-cards to send to our clients and suppliers by email. The savings achieved from this initiative were donated to the Children’s Ward at Wollongong Hospital in 2008, Para Meadows School in 2009 and Aspect South Coast School last year.

We have continued with this community-centred and environmentally friendly practice, and this year we donated our savings of $1,500 to the Kidzwish Foundation in Shell Cove. Kidzwish helps sick, disabled and disadvantaged children and will be using our donation to purchase equipment and resources for their occupational, physio and speech therapy services.

Pictured at left is Peter Beck, Pillar CEO presenting our cheque to Simon Davie, CEO Kidzwish Foundation (second from left), accompanied by Claudia Cerroni (left) and Leanne Shaw (right), both from Pillar.

As a major employer in the Illawarra region, Pillar takes its role as a responsible corporate citizen seriously.  We try, as much as possible, to support worthwhile charities and local causes.

An example of this is our support of the Phoenix Theatre in Coniston where Pillar regularly holds briefing sessions for our staff.  The Phoenix Theatre is a rehearsal and performance space for local groups and relies on government and community support to operate.

In the last financial year, Pillar has donated over $12,000 to local community groups and charities including Diabetes Australia, Cancer Council, Coniston Junior Soccer Club, Salvation Army, Warrigal Care Aged Care, Aspect South Coast School and the Queensland Flood Appeal.

Pictured at left is Pillar CEO Peter Beck presenting a cheque for $2,000 to Steen, manager of the Phoenix Theatre.

For the past two years, Pillar has stopped printing and posting paper Christmas cards and have instead designed a Christmas e-card to send to our clients and suppliers by email. The savings achieved from this initiative were donated to the Children’s Ward of Wollongong Hospital in 2008 and Para Meadows School in 2009.

We have continued with this community-centred and environmentally friendly practice and this year, our Christmas donation recipient was the Aspect South Coast School, a special school for children with autism located in Corrimal. The school will be using our donation to purchase Flip Cameras for the children to use in their social skills program.

Pictured at left is Bruce Rowles, Principal of Aspect South Coast School receiving a cheque for $1,500 from Pillar CEO Peter Beck.

Pillar was represented by two teams at the inaugural RMB Lawyers Corporate Team Triathlon challenge held on Sunday 5th December at Lang Park, Wollongong.

This event consisted of a 300m swim, 8km bike ride and 2km run.

Congratulations to Pillar Team 1 who came 3rd in the male category and Pillar Team 2 who won the mixed team category – well done!

In a show of support for our local community, Pillar held a fundraising dinner for Warrigal Care, an Australian not-for-profit aged care and retirement services provider.

Organised by a committee of Pillar staff, the fundraising dinner was attended by 145 local supporters who came together for a night of fun and entertainment. A total of $10,000 was raised from this event for the refurbishment of the Coniston Nursing Home.

With the majority of Pillar staff living in the local Illawarra area, fundraising for a nursing home located in the vicinity of Pillar’s National Service Centre was an opportunity for Pillar to support a local organisation that cares for the elderly in our community.

Pictured at left is Pillar CEO Peter Beck presenting a cheque for $10,000 to Don Colquhon, manager of Warrigal Care Coniston. Accompanying Peter are Pillar HR Manager David Allen and Pillar staff, Daniella Bozinovska who led the fundraising team.

Consistent with Pillar’s environmental sustainability objective, our Resource Efficiency Team coordinated the donation of computers and hardware peripherals to non-profit organisation ComputerBank Illawarra for distribution to disadvantaged communities in the Illawarra region and abroad.

Click here to read our media release relating to this donation.

Pillar staff once again took part in the Club Red Corporate Challenge organised by the Australian Red Cross to encourage regular blood donations among business and community groups.

We are very proud to announce that Pillar has once again won the Club Red trophy for the most blood donations in the Illawarra area. Thank you to all staff who donated blood to this very worthy cause.

Special mention must go to Pillar staff member, John Williams who received an award from the Red Cross for his record 350 donations to date!

Congratulations to cycling enthusiast Greg McAlary for completing the Les Dix Alps Challenge (Ten Mountains Challenge) and raising over $3,100 from Pillar staff for the Oncology Children’s Foundation!

Greg’s 1,081 kilometre journey began in Como, Italy on 20th June and took him over the 12 highest roads in the Italian and French Alps, finishing in Nice, France on 3rd July.

Click here to read about Greg’s journey as reported in the Illawarra Mercury.