A husband and wife team dedicated to fighting the scourge of child abuse will mark the tenth anniversary of their major fundraiser in Sydney this month.
The Child Protection Foundation, a fully registered charity set up by Bruce and Kerry Fozzard, will hold its annual Black Tie Masquerade Ball, on Friday, May 24 – a gala event that attracts a wide range of supporters including community representatives, politicians, parents, volunteers, business people and entertainers.
In previous years the foundation’s mission has been endorsed at the Ball by official messages of support from three Prime Ministers – Mr Abbott, Mr Turnbull and Ms Gillard – while Scott Morrison himself attended the Ball as the VIP guest to deliver the keynote speech.
The Child Protection Foundation is one of the unsung charity minnows struggling to keep up the fight against child abuse in tough economic times – hence the importance of the Black Tie Masquerade Ball, a critical fundraiser that keeps the Foundation going from year to year.
“If child abuse was an illness, we would not be struggling so hard to raise money. Funding for illnesses, be it cancer, heart disease or kidney disease, flows in, justifiably so, but the pipeline shuts off for child abuse – the most taboo subject in our society,” says Bruce Fozzard, who established the Child Protection Foundation with wife Kerry in 2007.
“Be it sexual, physical or mental abuse, it does not matter. Child abuse causes appalling damage. It is the hardest subject to have a conversation about and even harder to raise funds for, to stop children becoming victims and to educate the whole community about its evils.
“There is so much work to be done by all levels of society, especially those politicians who have the power to do more than offer platitudes instead of coming to grips with the realities of this insidious crime.”
According to the CPF, statistics show there are currently more than 159,000 active cases of reported child abuse alone in Australia, which break down into four categories: Emotional abuse – 59%; Neglect – 17%; Physical abuse – 15%; and Sexual abuse – 9%. These numbers are horrific, and the Foundation is especially focused on the eradication of sexual and physical abuse, the most heinous crimes against children.
The Black Tie Masquerade Ball will be held at Doltone House Function Centre, 223 Belgrave Esplanade, Sylvania Waters, at 7.00pm on Friday, May 24. Tickets are still available for $135.00 from trybooking.com. Book HERE.
The sponsor for this year’s event is PIRTEK Peakhurst, whose owner, Dimitri Vassiliadis, a dedicated supporter of the Foundation since its inception, has come to its aid to ensure the 2024 ball is a success.
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Tickets: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1140495
