Sky Tower to shine a light on family violence

Auckland’s Sky Tower will be lit up bright orange on July 1st to help draw attention to the high rates of family violence in New Zealand as part of Shine’s annual Light It Orange fundraising appeal.

Shine is an Auckland-based specialist family violence provider that delivers a range of services that support people experiencing family violence. It is part of Presbyterian Support Northern’s (PSN) group of social services.

GM Fundraising & Social Enterprise Lisa Rudolphe says Sky Tower’s support will be a big boost for the Light It Orange fundraising appeal, which runs for the month of July.

“The colour orange is used to symbolise hope and Shine provides hope for people experiencing family violence.

“As the Sky Tower can be seen from many parts of Auckland, we are thrilled that on July 1 it will be lit up orange – it will be a beacon of hope for women living with family violence as we call upon the community to help Shine support them and their children,” says Lisa Rudolphe.

The theme for this year’s Light It Orange campaign is Let’s light the way out of family violence and is aimed at highlighting the specialist services that Shine needs support for. These include support for family violence advocates who work with those at risk; KIDshine which supports children traumatised by family violence; emergency short-term accommodation; and programmes to hold people who use violence accountable and support them to change their behaviour.

“This year, we’re encouraging the community to join the campaign and be a light in the lives of women and children needing to escape family violence,” says Lisa Rudolphe

“Every year, women and children are killed as a result of family violence. At this moment, women and children are living with abusive family members in our communities – we need support right now to help.”

Lisa Rudolphe encourages workplaces, communities, teams and schools to get behind Shine’s campaign throughout July.

“Whether your team loves to be social, prefers to support behind the scenes, or you’re a mixed bunch, you can turn your collective creativity into real-world impact. Every single dollar counts!”  

Visit the Light It Orange website to create an individual or team fundraising page to get started. You’ll also find tips and ideas, plus resources to help.