This post is all about fundraising ….

So if you don’t want to hear about fundraising look away now!!!!

SPONSOR US : for as little as $12.00 you can sponsor a poppy … or you can choose your own sponsorship level here SPONSORSHIP

Download the sponsors form here Sponsorship form, fill it in and send, along with your contribution to P.O. Box 115, Ashburton Vic 3147 OR scan and email to us for your direct deposit to our account NAB BSB 083 004 Account 740830413

If you prefer to be anonymous (and many do) that is also fine …

WHY SPONSOR US?

This project started its life as a very small personal project to make 120 …. yes that’s 120 poppies as a tribute from Marg and I to our fathers who both fought in WWII.  We talk about that a lot when we talk about the project because I think it demonstrates just how personal this is for us.

When we decided to take it to the wider community … we did so because there was such interest in what we were doing … and it was obvious to us that others felt the same.  So in the early days … we thought 5000 was quite a challenge but that we would be able to reach that goal in the 20 or so months leading up to ANZAC Day 2015.

Since then (that was only July 2013 by the way) … many many thousands of contributors have sent in many more thousands of poppies … to date a smidge under 90,000 to be exact and by the project’s end we expect that number to swell to well over 100,000 …. in fact we are expecting somewhere in the vicinity of 130,000 – 150,000 poppies to land on our doorstep by March this year.

Fast forward to what that means in terms of putting together a display … and then the logistics of travelling that display to all states … because let’s face it … EVERYBODY should have an opportunity to see this amazing community work of art in their home state.

It will be breathtaking!!!!!!!

And that’s where the money comes in.

Putting a display together with more than 130,000 precious creations is a mammoth task.  And putting it together in a way that will withstand the rigors of touring is an even bigger task.  We need high quality materials and fixings, we need tools to work with and we need space to work in (my house is only so big), and we need to provide some form of housing to ship this unbelievable display in … to keep it safe.  We will also need many many many volunteers and many man hours to get it to a state where we can display it safely and securely in Fed Square. And we need public liability insurance … the list is endless.

When it was 5000 poppies … all these things could be relatively easily managed … 130,000 plus poppies is a whole different story.

It is all very well to say that the Government should fund it … and we are exploring that possibility constantly.  BUT … in real terms we have always thought of this project as a community project … our project … that’s yours and mine and all those many thousands of contributors … and then there are all those people who are not crafty but want to contribute in some way ….

Sponsoring a poppy … just one poppy even at $12.00 is a great way to spread the cost across many ….

It may be that we end up with some government funding.  We are working on it.  But in the meantime … things need to happen … materials need to be purchased … poppies need to be attached.

For those who have seen the value in supporting us financially … thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

For those who are sitting on the fence … feel free to jump off …

For those who are just hearing about the project … we know you would love to be part of something home grown, grassroots, made with love, spectacularly important and we would value your support.

Follow us on facebook : 5000 Poppies and join in the dialogue.