BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort has raised a staggering total of $12,507 for Whitsunday Housing Co’s Tiny Homes Project from its annual sell-out Halloween Camp and sCare charity event over the weekend.
With over 1,000 excited children and parents, mostly locals or guests from neighbouring Mackay and Townsville, enjoying plenty of spooky fun, the in-demand Halloween family minibreak for a good cause was once again a sell-out, with all cabins and sites booked out and future bookings held for the next two years.
Camp and sCare is a super spooky but super fun annual charity weekend held by BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort, not only to raise funds for local charities, but to also offer a special family experience for local residents to enjoy the great outdoors for a night of camping under the stars, or in the comfort of a cabin, and to enjoy all of the resort’s extensive facilities.
Each year, the resort chooses a charity, individual or business to support and raise funds for, with last year’s recipient being RACQ CQ Rescue and the year prior, the Whitsunday Neighbourhood Centre and Proserpine Community Centre.
This year, all funds were raised for local charity, Whitsunday Housing Co Limited (WHCL), which is undertaking the Tiny Homes Project, overseeing the construction of four tiny homes for homeless women over the age of 55 in the Whitsundays.
Money was raised from all Friday night camp site bookings and from the moment of check-in, families enjoyed a weekend of Halloween style activities, such as Halloween craft workshops, monster raffles, a huge sausage sizzle, pancakes by the pool breakfast, haunted Wii Just Dance disco and tons of other spine-tingling fun!
Guests went all out decorating for the spookiest campsite, cabin, family costume and children’s costume competitions, which saw sites and cabins transformed into spooky haunts, and guests young and old dressed up in creepy costumes, creating an atmosphere to rival any Halloween celebrations.
WHCL’s Tiny Homes Project Fundraising Coordinator, Sandy Clark, expressed her gratitude to the community for their support.
“Thank you to everyone who has supported the Tiny Homes Project and construction of four tiny homes for homeless women in the Whitsundays through BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort’s Camp and sCare charity event. Over $12,000 is such a generous donation, which comes at a very important time for us, having nearly reached our overall $700,000 target, ultimately bringing us closer to commencing our build and helping vulnerable women in our local community.”
This same sentiment was expressed by BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort’s Marketing Manager, Tanya Cran, who has seen the resort’s annual charitable program and activities grow beyond expectations over the 18 years they have been in place.
“We have all felt the increased cost of living, but for some who were already in a vulnerable position, the struggle is especially hard. If, as a business and with support of our guests, we can support the fast-tracking of roofs over heads, then that’s absolutely the best outcome. We must say a big thank you to our guest judges from the Tiny Homes Project, Shirley and Sue, who also had the difficult task of picking some of our cabin and camp site winners,” said Tanya.
“As a team we try to go beyond our charitable goal each year and we mostly always do. We can’t thank our guests enough, who donate to our charity activities every year, whether through our mega Camp and sCare weekend, or through our regular charitable activities, which support local children and vulnerable adults in our community, for which we also donate a similar amount on an annual basis.
“These charitable activities are so ingrained in our culture, and it really comes down to the genuine care and support that our owners, the McKinnon family, have for the Whitsundays and its people. It has always been this way, but it’s even more wonderful to see it growing every year, so our deepest thanks go to our wonderful locals and residents of neighbouring communities,” said Tanya.
On top of the special organised activities, the resort offered plenty of free entertainment with a host of amazing facilities, including the huge slide water park, animal park feeding and Halloween themed movies at the outdoor cinema.
Tanya continued, “We always have great support, not only from the local residents and visitors who attend this event, but from our local friends and partners, so we must make a special mention and pass on a big thanks to Woolworths Cannonvale who donated the sausages and bread, BIG W Cannonvale for 1,000 glow sticks and to local operators and businesses, including Ocean Rafting, Cruise Whitsundays, Fishi Fresh Island Seafood and Intuitive Massage, who all supplied raffle prizes.”
About the Tiny Homes Project
The Tiny homes Project has been set-up by an amazing bunch of passionate volunteers to raise much needed funds to build Tiny Homes on a dedicated plot of land. This project was launched in October 2022 to fundraise on behalf of Whitsunday Housing Company Limited to help house women 55 years and over who are homeless and struggling living right here in the Whitsundays community. This group of volunteers teamed up and took on the pilot project to build 4 tiny homes on land donated by the Whitsunday Regional Council. For more information visit www.tinyhomesproject.com.au or their Facebook page www.facebook.com/TinyHomesProject.