Ladies-only night on the town raises $8000 for domestic violence

By Katharyn Brine | March 17, 2016 at 11:05 am 0 Comments

About 250 ladies of Yass and surrounds will be having a gala night out on the town this Saturday, raising more than $8000 for White Ribbon’s domestic violence campaign.

The Ladies Shine Bright Night aims to empower women to support each other within our community, hosting a night where we can network with fellow businesswomen, shop at each other’s stalls, kick up our heels and have a night out, all while learning more about domestic violence issues and raising money for the cause.

And it’s strictly ladies only!

There has been an overwhelming amount of support for the event, organised by Leah Lloyd, Michelle Sera and Heidi Grange.

“[It all began] two years ago when I was invited to the Crookwell one… I did a talk there and had a stall. And I was invited to theirs last year and I thought well, Yass could really benefit from something like this, there’s just nothing like it here. So I decided to start one,” Leah told Scoop.

“Through my nursing and through my healing work, I still see so many people that are still affected by [domestic violence], whether they were abused themselves, or particularly children, who are now adults and who witnessed it. And I see how much it’s actually affecting their life and their relationships now.”

She found it astounding that domestic violence statistics were so high.

“I think too, seeing how many died last year in Australia, I just couldn’t believe the number. They say on average, 100 women a year in Australia are killed by partners or previous partners.

“I just thought that’s incredible that that can happen, and very little seems to be happening about it.”

Scoop Yass Valley is amongst 26 stall holders who have purchased stalls for $140 (gold sponsor), $100 (silver sponsor) and $60 (bronze sponsor), as well as donating prizes to the raffles on the night, and gifts to fill a goodie bag that each ticket holder will be given on the night.

All proceeds from the stallholders and ticket sales will be donated to White Ribbon.

Circle of Friends, which is a local group of volunteers who support women and their children who have experienced domestic and family violence, will have a donation box available on the night to accept donations of adult and children’s clothing and non-perishable items. The group has also purchased 14 tickets themselves to give to some of their clients.

“They provide clothing and supplies to people who have had to leave home in a hurry to escape violence.”

The NSW Police Domestic Violence Liaison officer Simone Houghton will also be available to those who need advice about domestic violence services.

“We aimed for 150 people and said if we get to 100, then we’d be really excited. And then we got to the 100 really quickly, then 150, and it just kept getting bigger. And when it got close to 250 we said look, we’d better cap it. Purely because of the space needed for all the stalls more than anything else,” said Leah.

Special guest speakers will be domestic violence survivor and successful business woman Kylie Travers, motivational and women’s empowerment speaker Emma McCann and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Pru Goward.

Everyone will get a glass of champagne on arrival, courtesy of the Soldiers Club, which has also donated $500 worth of nibbles as well as hosting the venue.

Attendees will not go home empty-handed on the night either, with opportunities to shop at the business stalls and win a major raffle prize consisting of a collection of items from Murrumbateman businesses, including a night’s stay at Red Brow.

More than 30 other prizes from local business women will be handed out too.

Tickets have sold out early and will not be available at the door, however, those who have already purchased tickets they no longer need have been posting them at the LSBN Facebook page here.

“The response has been incredible, we couldn’t believe how everyone is so keen to join in and be a part of it.”

“There will be the one very personal talk, we’ve also got Streetbeat’s Lahne Croker Graham singing, a motivational talk and the shopping – we want it to be a fun night where the ladies of Yass Valley can go out, get dressed up, do some retail therapy, but then raise awareness and money for a good cause at the same time.”

“It’s as much about empowering women as it is about linking it to domestic violence, and also supporting local business women who are trying to get their businesses out there and get publicity and support their families through their businesses, there are not a lot of avenues to do that in a small town.”

*Scoop Yass Valley is a gold sponsor ($140) and has donated a $200 advertising package to the raffle and provided 15 per cent discount advertising coupons for every attendee in the gift bag.

“Although Domestic Violence is a serious issue, Yass Ladies Shine Bright Night is ultimately a chance to get dressed up, connect with friends, and have fun!
We want to make sure that you enjoy yourself and shine bright on the night.”

Participating businesses

COF – Circle of Friends Box for donations.

NSWPF – NSW Police Force information stall.

WR – White Ribbon merchandise and shopping bags.

AH&H – Abundance Healing & Health stall.

EC – Empowerment Creative (Emma McCann)

1 – Arbonne & Earth’s Inspiration Jewellery

2 – Tupperware

3 – Your Inspiration at Home

4 – Lorraine Lea Linen

5 – Intimo

6 – Miche Bags

7 – Lily Ann Designs

8 – Beth’s Garden Delights

9 – Shelly Sing Feng Shui

10 – Beauty of Henna

11 – Scoop Yass Valley

12 – The Soy Fragrance Bar

13 – Yass Jumping Castles

14 – Jamberry

15 – Norwex

17 – Park Lane Jewellery

18 – Happy Healthy & Free

19 – Yass IT

20 – The Reading Nest

21 – Stephanie Corkhill-Hyles Artist

22 – Lipsense Lovin Lips n Lashes

23 – Peonies & Pineapples

24 – The Chefs Toolbox

25 – Streetbeat, Zumba with Zoey and PT.

26 – The Oily Revolution (DoTerra)