Dear Friends and Colleagues,
As many of you will know, last month my father and founder of The Snow Foundation, Terry Snow AM, died at 80 years old. Terry's achievements and contributions were immense and commensurate with his hard work and passion for family, business and philanthropy. He was a wonderful father whom we will miss enormously. I want to thank the community for their kind condolences to our family. We also deeply appreciate the team at Tender Funerals Canberra for their compassionate support and care for Terry and our family.
For those who may like to join us in celebrating Terry's life, a public Memorial service will take place on Monday September 16, at 11am at The Canberra Theatre. Please RSVP here by 6 September.
Of significance, Tender Funerals' new facility in Canberra was launched with a beautiful and moving ceremony. Our determined five-year partnership with Tender and more recently the crucial expertise of Capital Property Group brought this to fruition, to give grieving Canberrans a dignified, meaningful, and affordable choice.
Since 2011, we have been dedicated to improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Yet, they still experience some of the highest rates of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) globally. We recently shared our renewed RHD Strategy, designed to support and empower a First Nations-led response.
Key to the first phase of this strategy is a significant partnership with the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO). This reflects our shared values of listening to and supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, communities, and strengths-based programs focusing on self-determination and sustainability.
These shared values are also demonstrated by the Foundation's ongoing efforts to deepen our understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and lived experiences. Our team recently participated in a cultural awareness day on Ngunnawal country, where we enjoyed learning from Richie Allan, a Ngunnawal Kamilaroi custodian, and his daughter Shaenice from the Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation.
We’re thrilled to be a founding supporter of She Gives, an initiative amplifying the power of women’s philanthropy. Often overlooked in public discussions about giving, women’s contributions frequently go unrecognised. Join the movement below!
Best wishes,
A few reflections of Terry in action...
Terry helping out at Ainslie Primary School Breakfast Club and with Canberra's 'soup lady' Stasia Dabrowski
Georgina and Terry with the 2022 Snow Entrepreneurs, Neala Fulia - More Good Days, Geoffrey Smith - Australian Spatial Analytics, Pia Clinton-Tarestad - Clean Slate Clinic, Loki Ball - Performl, Skye Riggs - Ripple, Jessica Brown - The Warrior Woman Foundation and Joe Kwon - Confit Pathways
Tender Funerals Canberra Region launch ceremony, presentation of items used in the process of caring
Tender Funerals Canberra is open!
This milestone opening at Fairbairn comes after a five-year collaborative journey with The Snow Foundation and more recently Capital Property Group who helped make it a reality. Tender, a for-purpose organisation, sets the standard for affordable, inclusive, and meaningful funeral services.
"We are thrilled to open our doors in Canberra and provide a space where families can feel welcome and supported when faced with death. Our services are designed to empower families to make informed choices, provide options for participation and foster a healthy grieving process. Snow
Foundation and Capital Property Group have played instrumental roles in bringing Tender Funerals to the region, and we’re so grateful for their comprehensive support" Catherine Prosser, General Manager of Tender Funerals Canberra Region.
Catherine Prosser (Tender Funerals Canberra Region), Catherine Bell (Tender Funerals Canberra Region), Georgina Bryon (The Snow Foundation, CEO), Jenny Briscoe-Hough (Tender Funerals Australia, CEO), Carolyn Ludovici (The Snow Foundation), Stephen Bryon (Capital Property Group)
New partnership with the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) are preventable diseases, compounded by the effects of colonisation, poverty and inadequate access to comprehensive, culturally safe primary health care in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
We have partnered with NACCHO with a grant of $1 million to expand their Prevention Program into more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Organisations and their communities. This aims to bolster the broader Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Sector, enabling it to scale up efforts to prevent and manage these devastating yet preventable diseases.
"As Australia's peak community-controlled body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' health and wellbeing, NACCHO acknowledges The Snow Foundation as one of the first in Australia to support community-controlled program design and delivery. We all have a part to play in closing the gap,” Dr Dawn Casey, A/g CEO of NACCHO said.
The Foremind team - Snow Entrepreneur Joel Anderson centre
Foremind
Snow Entrepreneur and Foremind founder Joel Anderson is on a mission to achieve zero suicide by putting proactive mental health support in the pocket of every worker. Drawing from lived experience, Foremind has developed a platform that simplifies how companies navigate psychosocial risks while providing their teams with early intervention mental health support.
An update on Foremind's growth and impact:
- Grown their team of passionate, talented human beings
- Tripled the number of businesses they are supporting across Aus & NZ
- Conceptualised and released a completely new product
- Created a theory of change to measure our social impact
- Recruited a Head of Office Culture
- Soft-launched their new Sydney HQ
Philanthropy Australia Conference
At the Conference, our team enjoyed contributing to these sessions and sharing our experiences:
Bhanvi Anand - at the Foundations Group for Impact Investing (FGII): peer-to-peer learning session.
Megan Parsons (above, centre) - at the FRRR: Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal Panel - how place-based programs and partnerships have impacted rural and regional organisations and communities as a whole by investing collaboratively long-term.
Sally Grimsley-Ballard - at the GiveOut & The Aurora Group panel - Sally shared learnings LGBTIQ+ philanthropy.
She Gives is a movement that spotlights women's giving at any scale and its transformative impact, driving meaningful social change.
The ambition is to celebrate, share and inspire women's giving in Australia.
Notably, women are set to gain unprecedented economic influence in the coming decades, inheriting up to $3.4 trillion—or two-thirds of the intergenerational wealth—in Australia’s largest-ever wealth transfer.
She Gives will also add valuable insights on the nature of women’s giving, to inform what is needed to grow giving in Australia overall.
Snow Foundation's Cultural Awareness Day
The team was fortunate to spend a day at Wildbark with Richie Allan, a Ngunnawal Kamilaroi custodian and Cultural Director of Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation. Richie was very generous in sharing his life story, leaving us all with a lot to reflect on. Richie's daughter Shaenice shared stories about 'women's business' and taught us basket weaving techniques.
"... a great learning experience. Yarning, weaving, and learning directly from lived experiences provided an insight into the rich traditions and perspectives of First Nations people." Snow Foundation team member Bhanvi Anand
Corrine Payne and Bhanvi Anand with Richie Allan, Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation
