The 'Courage of Champions' paving the way for a better world.

After a week in which he became an unwitting but gracious spokesman against racism, and the victim of hurtful comments on two separate occasions, you would forgive Adam Goodes for avoiding the limelight for a while. He is, however, honouring his commitment to be the keynote speaker at an important event to be held at NSW Parliament House on 20 June 2013, the ‘Courage of Champions’ dinner.

The event held by the Cricketers Club of NSW to raise money for The LBW Trust. The LBW Trust is a unique charity that provides scholarships for the tertiary education of 700 students in the developing world. With a focus on female participation in tertiary education, the Trust has recently announced commitments to support 3 young women who have qualified for medicine degrees in the Helmund Province of Afghanistan, as well as funding for more than 50 severely disadvantaged students to attend the all-female SPRJ Kanyashala Trust college in Mumbai, taking courses ranging from dressmaking to psychology. For more details see lbwtrust.com.au.

Sharing the stage with Adam Goodes will be the iconic Australian sportswoman Ellyse Perry, who continues to represent Australia in both football and cricket, and was instrumental in Australia’s women’s cricket world cup victory this year.  “It’s an honour to be an ambassador for the LBW Trust and also an honour to be sharing the stage with a legend like Adam Goodes, who really is an inspiration to us all,” said Ellyse.

“The work of the LBW Trust is extraordinary and I encourage everyone to support this wonderful cause. They are providing opportunities for those in less privileged communities abroad, that otherwise would not have the chance to excel.”

The event was initially billed as ‘The Courage of Champions’, celebrating the recent heroics of Adam and Ellyse in playing through injury to lead their teams to victory. Since then, that theme has taken on new dimensions and it would be great to see a big crowd there to celebrate courage in standing up to racism, in standing up for the recognition of our female sport stars, and in standing up for education around the world to give those from less fortunate backgrounds the opportunity to become leaders in their communities.

Considering the panel, and the wonderful MC Stephanie Brantz, the event has a reasonable ticket price of $135 per person inclusive of a 3 course dinner and drinks, with all proceeds going directly to the LBW Trust’s education funding. All are welcome, we would really like to see a big crowd there to support Adam and Ellyse, and enjoy a fabulous dinner in the dining room at NSW Parliament House.

Please make a reservation or send your questions to Tom Bowes at tom.bowes@lbwtrust.com.au

Donations are also welcome at http://www.lbwtrust.com.au/donate-2/

For $180, for example, you can cover the entire tuition for one year for a young woman in Mumbai to attend a tertiary college. This will give her the skills to find employment (outside of the dangerous black market) and, we hope, to become a leader in breaking cycles of poverty.