that has had charities clamour-
ing for the latest bright (mostly
young) things to endorse their
cause. Some charities are easier
animals and the environment are the most
popular charities for celebrities to be aligned
with. Mental health and other illnesses are
more difficult to garner the much-needed pro-
file that in turn brings in the donor bucks that
keep these hundreds of registered Australian
charities afloat.
inely committed, heartfelt supporter of a
cause, there are plenty who don't quite make
the grade and can do their chosen charity a
disservice in the process. Ex-Spice Girl Geri
Halliwell's foray into the UNICEF goodwill
ambassador role is a chapter many would like
to forget, when she embarrassed herself and
the organisation by displaying a dismal igno-
rance of the issues she was supposed to be
representing.
involved and the charity she or he goes in to
bat for. Kids Helpline, the charity with which
Business Chicks network is aligned, reports
an increase in calls when the charity's profile
is raised. This can also drive donations and of
course in the end, it is through donations that
these benevolent institutions survive. Over the
years, the charity has benefited from the en-
dorsement of Kylie Minogue and Megan Gale is
currently its ambassador and there are patrons
involved across the country as diverse as
Jeannie Little, Tatiana Grigorieva and former
Rugby League great Wayne Pearce.
confidence of the nation in the palm of her
hand. A down-to-earth, vivacious person who
seems to live very much in the real world,
she's also heroically active in the charity
awareness- and fund-raising sphere. "I don't
advertise these things," she says over a latte,
"I just get on and do them."
was chuffed,") to joining the throngs 28,000
of them walking to raise awareness of breast
cancer through Melbourne's Botanic Gardens
in May as part of the Mother's Day Classic
fundraising event. That's where Ceberano saw
the real heroes emerge. "Everyone there was
walking for different people who they knew,"
she remembers. "And each was wearing these
little plaques explaining who they were walking
for their mother, their aunt. It was so power-
masse," she adds. "It's incredible
what we can do."
supports is no great surprise, and
she responds to the demands placed
on her with integrity. "I can help in a mu-
sical way because that's my business,"
she explains. Furthermore, "Once
I'm in, I'm in and that's it." She even
drove a pink BMW around a race
track far too fast for her liking