Philanthropy isn’t just for the rich and famous…

For many of us, the word philanthropy conjures up images of swanky charity events and people posing with giant cheques. But in reality, philanthropy is something that is quietly practiced by millions of Australians, often on unremarkable incomes.

In Australia (one of the wealthiest countries on the planet), philanthropy is on the rise, figures for 2004 showing an 88% increase in giving since 1997. Well over thirteen million adult Australians donated an average $424 each, while business giving more than doubled since 2000-01.

Kelvin Davies from Rainforest Rescue is encouraged by this trend: “The reasons for giving to help rainforests are varied and often personal. It could be that you simply love trees or holidayed near rainforest and was deeply affected by it. One of our supporters says part of his motivation is the tax deduction – his money is not being spent on a war in Iraq, it is being spent on a rainforest.”

“Living in the lucky country, there’s even more opportunity for us to save our rainforests and set an example for the rest of the world,” says Kelvin. “Australia is presently riding a ten year economic boom that’s predicted to continue for some years to come. The average wage in Australia is now over $53,000.”

You can be a ‘rainforest philanthropist’ today. Contact us on 1300 763 611 or make your donation at https://shop.rainforestrescue.org.au/donations.html

George Lewin – Businessman, philanthropist & new Rainforest Rescue Patron

George Lewin could be forgiven for putting his feet up and passively soaking up the views from his mountain-top home near Byron Bay – after all, he’s endured a 30 year rollercoaster ride transforming a backyard hardware invention into a 500 million dollar business. Instead, the man behind ‘The Triton Work Bench’ has been pouring his energy into philanthropy, both by sharing his own money and encouraging others to do the same. When asked the reason behind his interest in philanthropy, George says “I was very successful in my business career, and was very wealthy (on paper at least) by the age of 30. Over the ensuing 27 years, I saw that having more money than you need to live comfortably does not make you happy. There’s an old Biblical saying that ‘Tis better to give than to receive’ and that has indeed been my experience”.

“I pay very little tax”, he says, “preferring to give away my income. That way, I determine where the money goes, rather than leaving it to the Federal Government – for which I have very little time indeed.”

George supports about 35 different national and international charities and causes through his George Lewin Foundation, and hopes to hand over his last charitable dollar on the day he takes his last breath. He has no dependants, but says that even if he did have children, he wouldn’t leave his millions to them “because it would almost certainly spoil them”.

As well as supporting Rainforest Rescue’s work for the past two years, George was the Founding Director and Chairman of The Triton Foundation – a not-for-profit organisation set up in 2000 to help fledgling Australian inventors commercialise their ideas.