DoSomething Day set to be Sydney’s first-ever celebration of random kindness on June 15

THE first-ever DoSomething Day, to be held on June 15, will be Australia’s biggest celebration of volunteering and random acts of kindness.

• DoSomething Day’s offical website
• DoSomething near you
• Sandra Sully proud to support DoSomething Day
• Your Local Club

SYDNEY, it’s time to Do Something to make this city a nicer, kinder place.

The first-ever DoSomething Day, to be held on June 15, will be Australia’s biggest ever celebration of volunteering and random acts of kindness.

Launched by NewsLocal newspapers, the DoSomething charity and Your Local Club, it aims to encourage everybody to pitch in and do something positive in their community.

It might be helping an older person with their shopping, buying a homeless person a cup of coffee or a meal, picking up rubbish in the park or mowing an ill neighbour’s lawn.

Big or small, it doesn’t matter. As long as it improves the community or makes a positive difference to someone else’s life, we want to celebrate it.

Helping out could be as simple as mowing a lawn.

Donating blood is an easy way to save a life

NewsLocal editor-in-chief Kathy Lipari said she hoped Do Something Day would help bring out the best in Sydneysiders.

“We are proud of being a nation that pitches in and looks out for each other. DoSomething Day is all about highlighting that and focusing on taking time out of our busy days to lend a helping hand to others.”

Jon Dee, founder of the DoSomething organisation which links volunteers and charities, said Australia would be a poorer place without volunteers who help out in their local communities.

“They are the backbone of so many organisations and initiatives around Australia. DoSomething Day is a great day to say thanks to these wonderful Australians who give back and do their bit.”

He said he hoped the day on June 15 would encourage people to start volunteering in their local community.

NewsLocal editor-in-chief Kathy Lipari.

ClubsNSW CEO Anthony Ball

ClubsNSW CEO Anthony Ball said that volunteers, like the ones found in clubs across the state, are committed to making a valuable contribution to others in their local communities.

“We are incredibly proud of the volunteers who lend a hand in times of need to help make a difference in people’s lives,” he said.

“The club industry in NSW boasts over 44,000 volunteers who dedicate 1.6 million hours of their time per year to activities like running the sausage sizzle at sport on Saturdays, raising funds for cancer research and picking up rubbish around the local neighbourhood.

“The passion and enthusiasm volunteers employ is something to be admired, and they have an important part to play in building and strengthening our communities.

“We encourage all our friends and family to give their best and get involved in DoSomething Day.”

As the day draws nearer we’ll introduce celebrities, sport stars and other ambassadors who will be taking part.

Community spirit will be celebrated. Here Jon Dee plants trees with Michelle Carmichael and Blake Kruger. Picture: Renae Droop

How you can help

To get involved is easy. Help someone out or do a good deed for the community and upload photos and videos using the hashtags #DoSomethingDay and #giveyourbest.

We will then celebrate these acts on our websites and in print editions of our community newspapers.

Backing this call to action will be the DoSomethingNearYou.com.au website which shows people the many things that they can do to help out in their community.