It is a chance for the University of Newcastle Community to support life changing causes. Leanne Elliott explores Gifting Day 2023.

This Wednesday, 6 September, the University of Newcastle is holding its annual Gifting Day, a day aimed at changing lives by focusing on four key areas: community connectedness, equal opportunity, transformative research, and a sustainable future.

Gifting Day is a chance for the University of Newcastle community to give back to causes which have the potential to benefit the local and global community. To help celebrate, events are being held at the Callaghan, NUspace and Ourimbah campuses on the day, including live music, free food, and other activities.

Before looking at the various causes you can support on Gifting Day, I would like to talk about my personal experience as a student who directly benefited from Gifting Day.

I was the recipient of a Shaping Futures Scholarship during my studies at UON, so I speak from experience when I say, by participating in Gifting Day 2023 and donating to one of the seven causes below you will be making a meaningful difference.

The Shaping Futures Scholarship helped me purchase study materials and provided financial relief which allowed me to focus on my studies while raising a family as a single mum and part-time work. I don’t believe my grades would have been as high without the financial relief the scholarship provided.

Outreach for Women in the Hunter Experiencing Homelessness

Every night, an estimated 50,000 women experience homelessness. By donating you will be supporting “a trauma-informed model of assertive outreach” service for homeless women from the Hunter region. Click here to learn more.

Mark Hughes Foundation Centre for Brain Cancer Research

By donating you will be supporting vital research into treatments for children diagnosed with brain cancer. Brain cancer has a low survival rate, particularly for children, however, the Mark Hughes Foundation for Brain Cancer Research is “already making great strides in the fight against the disease.” Click here to learn more.

Science and Engineering Challenge

Started by the University of Newcastle in 2000, the Science and Engineering Challenge continues to inspire thousands of students across Australia to pursue education and careers in STEM fields. Donations will go towards supporting future SE Challenges. Click here to learn more.

Alumni House

The University of Newcastle has an alumni community comprising of over 168 thousand students from 153 countries. By donating you will be supporting the development of a “dedicated space to bring our [alumni] community together to connect, collaborate, share opportunities, and celebrate achievements.”  Click here to learn more.

Maliyan Indigenous Student Leadership Program

The Maliyan Indigenous Student Leadership program is designed to promote leadership and enhance the skills of Aboriginal and Torres Strait health care students. Through this immersive program, students will gain a broad and thorough understanding of local and global Indigenous health care delivery. By donating you will “help 15 students undertake this transformative leadership program.” Click here to learn more.

Shaping Futures Scholarships

For some students there are barriers or difficulties, such as carer responsibilities, cultural barriers, financial hardship, domestic violence, medical conditions, which may impact their ability to, or prevent them from pursuing higher education. By donating you will helping students overcome these barriers and pursue their studies. Click here to learn more.

2NURFM Community Radio

2NURFM has been informing and entertaining listeners for over 45 years. Delivering quality content, this locally owned station also acts as an “authentic voice for the Newcastle and Hunter regions.” By donating you will help 2NURFM cope with rising production costs and ensure the much loved station remains locally owned. Click here to learn more.

Unsure of which cause to help? You can also choose to donate to the area of greatest need.

For all donation and supporter enquiries, please contact the Office of Alumni and Philanthropy

Email: donor-relations@newcastle.edu.au

Phone: 02 4921 8612

Feature image by Hassan Ouajbir via Pexels; cropped and resized.