The media industry will be hitting the golf course this weekend, but the fun will be in support of aiding those with cerebral palsy find work.
“One of the biggest challenges and worries, which I know only too well as a parent of a teenager with cerebral palsy, is your child getting a job and career,” chairman of Starcom MediaVest Australia John Sintras said.
“Sadly, the reality is that almost 60% of people with a disability are unemployed, and nearly half live in or near poverty.”
Sintras, along with other media heavyweights such as Henry Tajer will be heading the CBD Golf Escape in the Hunter Valley for an event run each year in aid of the Cerebral Palsy Alliance.
Over the years, the Alliance has raised $10 million from the event, and it expects to raise over $2 million to help create job opportunities for those with cerebral palsy.
The bulk of funds come from major media outlets donating advertising packages which media buyers then sell to their clients at full cost.
Companies such as Seven Media Group, Nine Entertainment, Ten Network, Fairfax, News Limited, Bauer Media, MCN, ARN, Nova, APN Outdoor, OoH Media, Adshel, JCDecaux, Prime, WIN/NBN, Southern Cross Austereo, SBS Two, Facebook and 2GB are involved and committed to this event.
“As we know, the media industry is a fiercely competitive landscape. It is wonderful that we can come together in solidarity and harness our strengths and dynamism in a way that serves the broader community,” Tajer said.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, people with a disability have an employment rate of 39.8%, compared to 79.4% for people without a disability. Australia ranks 27 out of 27 OECD countries for people with disability living in or near poverty (45% compared to 22% average).
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