What an absolute privilege it was to welcome so many of our wonderful donors, their friends and our incredible Impact100 WA community to Impact in the Spotlight!
And honestly… we think this one might just have made it into the Impact100 WA Hall of Fame.
The night kicked off with Paul Chamberlain, one of our founding members, sharing how a small idea over a few wines has grown into 15 years and $3.4 million given in grants.
Paul shared how a vision of sharing the love of philanthropy and creating greater impact has now touched all of us, as we continue to create positive change across the WA community.
Simone Eley, also one of our founding members and now Co-Chair, then shared how the money we give is just the tip of the iceberg, with the ripples of our impact spreading much further and wider than we ever imagined.
Simone shared stories of partnerships, connections and ideas that our community of donors has enabled. Just recently, 12 Buckets (2023 grant recipient, where Lia Thorpe now works) partnered with Sam Spares (2025 grant recipient) to provide much-needed devices to the young people they work with. They have also partnered with Short Back and Sidewalks (2025 grant recipient) to support young people with haircuts, helping them feel ready for whatever life throws their way!
Additionally, we have seen more than $2.1 million given by our donors outside of Impact100 WA to support additional projects and causes of our grant recipients. We have also seen donors join boards, volunteer and provide pro-bono services. Our community truly is incredible.
Our panellists then stole the spotlight, with Charlie Yates Bishop sharing how Lionheart Camp for Kids’ Raw to Roar program, a comprehensive grief support program for children, teens and families following the death of a parent, sibling or significant loved one, has gone from strength to strength.
More recently, they have expanded their support to families navigating a terminal diagnosis, helping the wider family network feel better equipped and prepared to support the children in their family when the time comes.
Angie Perkins shared how Impact100 WA’s support backed Midlas to trial a program providing legal support to families experiencing domestic violence, right there in hospital, making help easy to access.
This innovative program has been so successful that it is now recognised as best practice, with government coming on board to fund the program.
It was a particularly proud moment to hear the term ‘Impact100 WA test’ coined as a way of setting the bar for innovative, well-rounded and well-thought-out programs.
That is a true testament to our engaged community of donors, asking the hard questions, digging deeper and making sure our collective giving creates the greatest possible impact for our WA community.
A special thank you…
A very special thank you to our incredible volunteer Events Committee for bringing this wonderful evening to life. We know there is a lot of planning, organising, coordinating, chasing, checking, double-checking and probably a few “just one more little thing…” moments that happen behind the scenes.
And of course, a huge thank you to Jamie Price for capturing so many of the special moments from the evening and giving us some beautiful memories to share with you……
It was also incredibly special to stand alongside so many of our past grant recipients (Orana House, Fair Game, Dress for Success WA, Sensorium Theatre, 12 Buckets, CARAD, Cycling Without Age, Motivation Foundation, Ear Foundaton, Lionheart Camp for Kids, Homeless Healthcare and Midlas) and celebrate this incredible milestone together.
