Last month, we ran a fundraiser with our mate Claire Porter from News Ltd to raise funds for Sydney’s Shoeshine Brian, or moniker aside, Brian Rudd.
Claire started this campaign with the ambitious goal of raising $20,000 to help Brian into accommodation and off the streets. While this might have been a bit too ambitious for a first goal, it nonetheless set the bar high, and when we became aware of the campaign, we had to get involved.
We initially set out to raise $500 from our audience, which the Ausdroid Community Foundation would match dollar for dollar. We quickly reached that goal within the first 24 hours, so we doubled our target, setting out to raise $1000 from our audience and $1000 from ACF’s funds. Well, we beat that, too.
In total, we raised over $3000 for Brian and this is a smashing result. We would have brought you this news sooner, but we had a few loose ends to tie up, not the least of which was finding Brian (he’s been unwell and notably absent from Sydney the last week or two) and working out the best way to get these funds to him.
Well, we’re pleased to report that we’ve now done this. Brian is immensely touched that a group of people who he doesn’t know, and many of whom don’t know him, would band together and raise some money to help him out. I think this is, more than anything else, a testament to the great community we’ve built at Ausdroid, and the great generosity of our readers. Without you, we’d not have achieved anything like this.
I spoke to Brian this afternoon, and he, too, would like to thank you all for your kindness.
It’s a great result, and I am hopeful that Ausdroid Community Foundation will be able to assist Brian and others in his situation in future. If you would like to help us raise a second lot of funds for Brian, anything you can spare would be greatly appreciated by us all. You can donate here, or become a member of the Ausdroid Community Foundation and set up a regular donation here. Mobile viewers should use this mobile-optimised donation form.
