The Fairley Alumni Scholarship Committee, formed by graduates of the 2023 Fairley Leadership Program, have collaborated with renowned Shepparton artist Tank for a new fundraising initiative.
To provide a scholarship for an emerging community leader to participate in the 2024 program, the committee partnered with Tank from Tank Art and Stuart Gowty of McKellar Picture Framing to auction a unique, one-off artwork.
Themed around ‘Climate Preparedness’, the piece with purpose was inspired by the 2023 participants’ recent Greater Shepparton Immersive with Tank and Stuart.
“I was happy to be part of the Fairley Leadership Program event — everyone did a great job, and it was an amazing collaborative piece,” Tank said.
“I’m really happy with the result as an artist, not many artworks you can get have nearly 30 people collaborating on them.
“And why wouldn’t you donate or bid when it’s going to such a good cause?”
Jesse Mitchell, 2023 Fairley Leadership Program participant and committee chair, said the fundraiser recognises the need to increase regional leadership capacity.
“This initiative represents the current participants saying thank you for the opportunity they were given, and ‘paying it forward’ to allow someone to step into this powerful and impactful program ... we’ve come together with a goal to raise $6600,“ he said.
“We want to connect with individuals and businesses within our community who resonate with the same enthusiasm for community leadership and recognise the value of fostering emerging leaders at a grassroots level.
“By coming together to understand the specific needs of our communities, we can make a lasting and transformative impact across our region.”
The auction is on now and will end on Wednesday, November 29.
To place a bid, visit the online auction website at https://tinyurl.com/mrx6w5wb
For more information, visit the GMCL Facebook page.