Lianne Graf supports young people in a myriad of meaningful ways.
Many members of the Raise village support young people in a multitude of ways. Lianne Graf is one of those people.
Not just numbers
After studying Commerce Law, majoring in accounting and tax, Ripples Women’s Giving Circle member Lianne steered her career towards numbers and business; the funds side of superannuation, taxation and investments. Her career has been spent primarily at KPMG, working in a number of roles. However, as Lianne says, her work is 'not just numbers'. Lianne is a people person who values working in a nurturing environment and collegiate atmosphere. She tells us “KPMG is a great fit for me. It is all about mentoring and ‘growing’ people. The culture supports upskilling people with both essential work skills and people skills. We all have roles as listeners as well as leaders. Employing non-judgemental support and understanding in a culture of tolerance and diversity.”
A family affair
The extended Graf family has supported Raise for 10 years because of its similar culture. Lianne says “My husband met Raise CEO Vicki and her team and decided to support the mentoring program, which focused on early prevention, to help save the lives of young people, something that was close to the heart of the entire family. He also joined the fundraising committee and helped them with their events, knowing that with more funds, more lives could be positively impacted and saved. We’ve watched Raise grow and Vicki’s pure motive of quietly supporting as many young people as possible has remained throughout. I would call it a ‘blue ribbon’ organisation. Standards are high and staff are deeply committed. Raise also ticks a lot of boxes for us as a family, as we have a focus on children and young people, especially when it comes to their health and future.”
Making the impact ripple
When the opportunity arose to join the Raise Ripples Giving Circle, Lianne didn’t give it a second thought, and says “empowering women is very important, and the warm, inclusive environment of Ripples provides a gentler environment, an alternative to male dominated spaces. When founding member Su suggested it, I thought ‘what a lovely concept’. It provides the cream on top of the regular fundraising. My sister-in-law also joined for the same reasons. I love the friendship among the women; we’re all like-minded and are simply trying to make the world a better place."
“It’s a welcoming, low-key setting and every function is delightful, with women from a variety of backgrounds, with different skill sets and experience. I would highly recommend it to anyone, as it is very friendly and drives a broad and far reaching outcome. The ability to sit in a circle and hear directly from mentors, the professional team at Raise, as well as to vote on which school programs to support is a wonderful opportunity. We even get to go to graduations to hear the impact firsthand. The results of the program, and Raise as a whole, are amazing.”
The quiet achiever that packs a punch
When asked why Raise is so special, Lianne says it’s the authentic ethos of the organisation, the people who work and volunteer there, and the impact it has, and says “it is such a genuine organisation, it’s not ‘look at me’, but it is the quiet achiever that packs a punch. The one-to-one relationship that Raise provides is so important. With society the way it is, parents working, grandparents often distant or busy, having a trusted adult as a sounding board is quite special. We’re losing many of those everyday interactions with people and even though we’re so connected, so many are still so lonely. This is especially an issue with our youth, as they enter high school and puberty, so much is demanded and expected of them. If we don’t start working from the ground up, communities will continue to break. Raise is contributing to building a stronger, more connected community and a better future.”
Many members of the Raise village support young people in a multitude of ways. Lianne Graf is one of those people. For further information about the Raise Ripples Giving Circle please email hello@raise.org.au.
