Our Community
Josophan’s is committed to supporting our community, both local and global and hope other businesses will join us in giving back to our communities.
We are proudly using Callebaut FAIR TRADE Certified chocolate, a decision we hope is changing lives of those growing and harvesting cacao.
To celebrate our move to Fair Trade we hosted a fundraising event on 18 August, with a screening of Chocolat at the Edge Cinema Katoomba. We donated chocolate truffles, a shot of hot chocolate, chocolates from our new Mayan range and lots of lucky door prizes, in the ticket price, and proudly raised $2170 which we have donated to Oxfam to help struggling communities in Africa.
Some of our recent larger fundraising initiatives have include major prizes at the annual Melbourne Cup Luncheon where our donation of an exclusive chocolate truffle 'masterclass' for 6 people raised $650 towards supporting the BLUE MOUNTAINS HEALTH TRUST.
We were proud to support the Arty Bra Project, where we donated a fabric bra we created for the travelling exhibition, and a chocolate 'bra' for the Auction evening, which was the high record bid of the evening, raising $1000 for BLUE MOUNTAINS CANCER HELP.
LOCAL CHARITIES
Josophan's sponsors many local charities and fund raising initiatives for both local and international projects.
We proudly donated a huge chocolate cake to Eloura Disability Enterprises for their 50th Birthday Gala dinner, in the shape of 3 sisters (featured on their logo) .... congratulations to such a worthwhile programme. Donations of gift baskets and gift boxes of chocolates are proudly made to local fundraising efforts, including service clubs such as Rotary and Leura Golf Club, and local services such as Disabiity Enterprises and Blue Mountains Cancer Help amongst others. We also proudly support many of our local schools fund raising efforts.
Josophan’s also supports the local Blue Mountains Hospitality School, as a sponsor in their fundraising efforts to support their sister school of hospitality in Siem Reap, Cambodia, training Cambodian Youth for careers in the hospitality sector.
NOT SO LOCAL PROJECTS
We also support many charities not so close to home for us. Christmas 2011 we donated 300 individual gift packs of chocolate for St Vinnies homeless persons run in Melbourne ... hopefully we helped bring some cheer to those who are struggling.
We proudly also supported the Starlight Children's foundation, donated hundreds of boxes of chocolates for their annual 2011 fundraising ball, an event that raised over $200,000 for this wonderful charity.
GREEN GECKO PROJECT
Josophan’s has also supported an initiative in Siem Reap, Cambodia, being the ‘Green Gecko Project’, which targets disadvantaged children of Siem Reap.
The sad reality is that these children, as young as 5 years old, are often the primary breadwinners for their families. Their living conditions are often desperate, either living in very poor housing or no housing at all. Many of the children sleep unaccompanied on the pavement, defenceless to abduction, abuse and disease. The GREEN GECKO project is about empowering these children with skills and education to enable them to support themselves and their families in safe and suitable way. It also provides shelter, care and stability for those physically battered or psychologically in need.
In Cambodia, Josophan’s was able to donate over $500 worth of quality art supplies including drawing books and Lyra pencils and crayons, we brought from Australia. This enabled the project to establish an art programme in their curriculum that they would otherwise have not been able to afford, and given the children an opportunity for expression and art therapy never experienced before.
The very evening the supplies had been donated, Green Gecko founder Tania explained,
" on our way home, my husband stopped to get something to eat on the pavement, I sat in the tuk tuk colouring on my own (couldn't resist)... When a young boy around 10 (who I had not been able to connect with
previously due to his intense glue sniffing habit), sidled up beside me to take a look... after a few moments, I asked him if he would like to try... he nodded YES! You can't imagine the significance. Normally these glue kids
are so disinterested in anything. We sat and coloured while my husband ate.
It was amazing. He did beautiful work. He wrote his name on them, I cut them out and gave it to him, he refused, either too shy or 'cool', but he gave it to his friend.
It was a very special moment."
For further information on the Green Gecko Project, or information on how to make a donation, click here
