Walking the Kokoda trail – raising $70,000 for OzChild 

In her first 12 months at OzChild, Lisa dedicated a lot of time to meeting people within the organisation, understanding their work, and identifying potential opportunities. “During this period, I remember walking through the marketing team’s office and noticing posters promoting a fundraising walk to Kokoda. The team had planned to take some supporters to walk the Kokoda Trail, so I asked them, ‘Who’s on the list?’ “

At that point, no one had signed up. Without hesitation, Lisa did what she does best—she led by example. She committed to walking the Kokoda Trail herself and raising as much money as possible for OzChild. 

With three friends and her husband committed to walking the Kokoda Trail, Lisa turned to LinkedIn for support. “I had about 500 followers at the time, and getting people to support my fundraising walk was pretty tough. LinkedIn wasn’t as big as it is today,” Lisa recalls.

Undeterred, she also gained the backing of Queens College by speaking to students and staff about OzChild’s work. Their fundraising campaign raised $15,000 for the OzChild team. With the support of her friends, family, LinkedIn connections, and the tremendous efforts of Queens College, Lisa raised a total of $70,000 for OzChild.  

The experience of walking Kokoda is one that will remain in Lisa’s top 10 achievements for evermore, due to the humbling experience it brought. 

“Following the steps of the diggers through treacherous terrain gave us a deep appreciation for the very young men—essentially children—who walked this trail to protect Australia. This is something I will never forget and am incredibly grateful to have experienced,” Lisa reflects.

 Lisa is putting her fundraising hat on once again to mark her 10^th anniversary year, this time taking on the challenge of competing in the 2024 World Judo Championships Veterans as part of the Australian Judo team. Cheer Lisa on by donating to her Move It! for OzChild campaign here.