Two Weeks at Dine for Life

Hi everyone,

I officially started my placement at Dine for Life (www.dineforlife.com) two weeks ago.

So a bit about Dine for Life…

Dine for Life is a fundraising project that was established in 2009. It’s a brand new concept in Perth that supports underfunded charities by raising funds and awareness for their cause. Dine for Life runs on the basis of 100 people dining simultaneously across ten of Perth’s top restaurants. Each event is expected to grow which will mean more guests, more restaurants and even more fund raising. Each guest purchases a ticket worth $150 and they are wined and dined for an evening following by cocktails at a secret location after party. One hundred per cent of the funds raised are donated directly to the aligned charity for that particular dinner series. Dine for Life is as much about raising money as it is about raising awareness of important social issues that are not normally discussed.

So far we have supported the Global Good Foundation (GGF) with our launch event- the inaugural Autumn Dinner held on May 25^th, 2010. The evening was a huge success, raising $12,000 for GGF. GGF will be using the funds donated from Dine for Life to build a first of it’s kind education centre that helps in the rehabilitation process for people affected by domestic violence.

Our next event is the Summer Dinner, to be held on December 1st, 2010. With this event we are supporting The Samaritans Crisis Line. The Samaritans Crisis Line offers non-judgemental, emotional support to the lonely, despairing and suicidal, or those at risk of becoming so. Their team of trained volunteers provide face-to-face support by day and are on hand 24/7 to answer calls and emails in a time of crisis. The Samaritans will be using the funds donated from Dine for Life to enhance their media coverage, marketing and public activities; it’s really important for people to know that they can call The Samaritans Crisis Line in a time of need.

Currently, there is a team of 18 people volunteering their time and skills to ensure Dine for Life continues to be a success and grow with each event. I am obviously a part of the public relations (PR) team, which consists of myself and another girl, Charlotta. We are both very new to the industry so we have a media advisor on board to help us when we need it.

I have actually been with Dine for Life since April this year, but decided to enrol in professional practice until this semester as I was already overloading in sem. 1. During my first few months at Dine for Life I wasn’t really involved in PR activities as such, I was just helping with anything I was assigned to do. This actually played a really valuable role in my understanding of the organisation as I was able to see how each element of this event worked together. This definitely put me in a more confident position when I was assigned to PR for the next event.

I have definitely been thrown in the deep end with Dine for Life but I am very grateful for this opportunity because I am learning so quickly and gaining so much experience. So far we have written the Dine for Life PR strategy, constructed a media contact list, made a media kit and issued two press releases. I was very happy to see that my second press release was actually picked up on WA Today (http://www.watoday.com.au/entertainment/restaurants-and-bars/dine-for-life-20100916-15e9x.html).

Well I hope everyone is enjoying juggling uni work with their placement. It is a bit of a difficult balancing act, but it will hopefully pay off in the end :)

Natalie