Business Lifeline Community

While Business Lifeline strongly focuses on helping the small business community of the Gold Coast, there are other notable by-products of this initiative. The revenue raised through Business Lifeline is used to improve health and well being through a variety of community services. In particular, Business Lifeline is assisting Lifeline to establish a service centre in Coolangatta.

In Lifeline Gold Coast’s experience, vulnerable families are most likely to continue to attend a support group if activities enable families to discuss life concerns as well as child rearing difficulties. As a result we have delivered a range of ‘soft entry’ activities such as the Puddle Jumpers playgroup for parents with children aged zero to four, to offer advice and support at an early stage, before problems become too severe. We have also introduced face to face counselling on site at Coolangatta as well as kids after school activities programs.

Our long term goal through Coolangatta is to engage other community service providers in the area to deliver support services to the community. By engaging with other service providers support would be enhanced and sustainability of services in the area would be long lasting.

Until such time, Lifeline Gold Coast is working tirelessly to improve parent/child relationships, improve their capacity to own and respond to childhood issues, improve parenting competence and style as well as improve community interest. Thanks to your support of Business Lifeline, we are able to offer this to the southern Gold Coast community, where this is an immense need.

Kenton Campbell’s work and reputation in the local community led the charity organisation to approach the coffee king - respecting a rise to success that saw a $9,000 investment turned into one of the fastest growing franchise businesses in the country.

Lifeline Gold Coast General Manager, Peter Loughnane, said Mr Campbell was a shining example of where perseverance and hard work can take a small business.

“When looking to appoint a patron for Business Lifeline, we wanted someone who would bring a valuable profile to the work of this program, and for that person to know what it’s like to run and build a business from the ground up,” said Mr Loughnane.

“We really wanted to connect with a successful business owner who has overcome challenges, has achieved business excellence, someone who is innovative and whose morals fit with the values and principles of Lifeline.

“Mr Campbell encapsulates that and so much more and we are very privileged to have him promote our service to the business community,” he said.

A humble recipient of numerous awards, Mr Campbell said he was looking for a way to give back and Business Lifeline was the perfect avenue for him to do just that.

“At one point in my life an organisation just like Lifeline helped me get on my feet by assisting me to get my first job and putting me on a career path that I could only dream of. Now I am in a position to give back to the community that helped build my business”, said Mr Campbell.

Mr Campbell believes that Lifeline can help local businesses more than ever in these current economic times.

“Business owners need to know that putting their hand up and asking for help can be the very real life saving action they need to get them through financial and personal hardships”, he said.

“It’s important that businesses keep searching for other ways of doing things if they feel they are struggling. When building Zarraffa’s Coffee there were countless times I had to reach out for assistance but I wasn’t aware of any program that could help me, especially something of the calibre of Business Lifeline. It’s essential that people be open to the tools that Lifeline can offer – it could make all the difference.”

From a regional perspective, Mr Campbell stated that it was critical that the wider business community were made aware of, and encouraged to get behind, the Business Lifeline initiative.

“Business Lifeline is providing a number of ways to address the issues facing Gold Coasters in a tough economic climate; to help resource our vast and varied small business base. I hope through my role as patron to shine a light on the program and encourage business owners to take a pro-active approach to getting through rough times and, just as importantly, preparing for better ones.”