Your Impact Through Gifting Day 2023

Our incredible University of Newcastle community came together on 6 September to shape a better, fairer and more sustainable tomorrow through our 2023 Gifting Day. The remarkable generosity of more than 600 donors and ambassadors from seven different countries saw over $230,000 raised in support of seven life-changing initiatives.

Outreach for Women in the Hunter Experiencing Homelessness

Through Gifting Day our generous community helped raise over $29,000 to support women in the Hunter experiencing homelessness. To truly meet women where they are, to help them heal from trauma and to access long term solutions to complex problems.

With your support, the University and project partner, NOVA for Women and Children, have been able to implement a female-focused outreach program for women experiencing long-term, chronic trauma and cyclic homelessness.

This includes providing vital advocacy, casework, information and referrals, with a focus on respect, belonging and trust.

Your gift is not only providing crucial support for women experiencing homelessness now, but the findings from this program will be collated to inform future practice, benefiting many people in the future.

The Science and Engineering Challenge

The support of our community, combined with our generous matching donor, Google, helped raise over $16,000 to support Australia’s next generation of ground-breaking scientists and engineers through the Science and Engineering Challenge.

With your support, we were able to deliver 132 events, reaching more than 24,000 students from all backgrounds.

2024 has been another amazing year for the Challenge, with the introduction of a brand-new activity inspired by First Nations’ ingenuity and engineering. Students around Australia are learning how to build a fish trap using 3D printed rocks and magnets while also learning about the incredible history of the Brewarrina Fish Traps in NSW.

Thanks to your gift, even more students in regional communities and from low socio-economic backgrounds will have the chance to access the Science and Engineering Challenge, inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers!

Alumni House

Your remarkable generosity, combined with that of our community and matching donor, Newcastle Permanent, raised $54,235 to help create Alumni House, a space to bring our community together to connect, collaborate and share opportunities and learning across the world.

Alumni house will build on the great sense of pride and community spirit that is so strong among our alumni and community.

With your support, the project has achieved its next important milestone, stabilising the site to bear the load of this beautiful new building and all the amazing things that will happen inside.

This crucial work ensures the site is ready for the next stage of construction.

Maliyan Indigenous Student Leadership Program

Thanks to the generosity of matching donors and our kind community, over $31,000 was raised to support the next generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health care students through the transformative Maliyan Indigenous Student Leadership Program.

“Maliyan” means “eagle” in Wiradjuri language and this important program takes Indigenous doctors and leaders of tomorrow to new heights by immersing students in local and international First Nations’ health. This helps students develop the understanding, empathy and expertise needed to guide their future practice and deliver the best possible outcomes for Indigenous patients and their communities.

With your support, the team has been busy preparing the next transformational program to commence in 2025. We look forward to keeping you updated on Maliyan scholars who go on to use this experience to make life-changing impact in their communities. Just like Sarah Goddard, Bachelor of Medicine Alumna and a proud Maliyan scholar who was named the 2022 Indigenous Doctor of the Year.

Shaping Futures Scholarships

Through Gifting Day an incredible $47,000 was raised to help students overcome unfair obstacles and achieve their full potential through higher education with the support of a Shaping Futures Scholarship.

Students like Brianna, who with your support, was able to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher.

After leaving high school early as one of the many kids who, in her words, ‘fall through the cracks’, Brianna was determined to make a difference for other students like her. However, between the demands of sole parenting, being a full time carer for her mum and helping to take care of her brother, full time study just didn’t seem like something she was able to do but kind people like you came together to change Brianna’s life.

Your wonderful donation through Gifting Day means that nine students like Brianna will receive the life-changing news that they too will receive a scholarship to help with essentials such as rent, textbooks and food – as well as the most valuable gift of all – confidence in their ability to succeed.

“For a stranger to say ‘Yes, I believe in you. You’re worth the investment’ it means everything. By giving to scholarships, by helping people better themselves, you are also bettering our world,” shared - Brianna.

2NURFM Community Radio Station

Thanks to our amazing 2NURFM community, combined with the kind support of matching donor, Lisa Mcguigan Wines, over $37,000 was raised to support the continued improvement of programming at Newcastle’s much-loved community radio station, 2NURFM.

Delivering local news to weekend listeners has been on 2NURFM’s wish list for years. However, producing high-quality content and broadcasting comes at a substantial cost.

With your support, the 2NURFM newsroom has been staffed every Saturday morning, with early risers tuning in to hear local journalist and University of Newcastle alumna, Lauren Freemantle bring you all the news from around the region, live and local.

This programming has received wonderful feedback from listeners and 2NURFM is determined to keep it going.

Mark Hughes Foundation Centre for Brain Cancer Research

Through the kind support of our community and matching donor, RUN DIPG, over $18,500 was raised to help advance treatments for children with brain cancer through the paediatric stream of Mark Hughes Foundation Centre for Brain Cancer Research.

With your support, it’s been a busy start to the year undertaking life-changing research with some incredible technology. The JEM-BOT liquid handling robot is helping to fast-track research into how combination therapies can be used to target different cell growth pathways in a synergistic way.

Using the JEM-BOT allows the research team to test more combinations and return results with greater accuracy than is possible by hand, so they can move forward more quickly with the most promising combination treatments to help children with brain cancer.