Campaigns and programs to improve our world
m.a.d.woman is committed to encouraging, inspiring and enabling people to make a positive difference in the environment, community and to the lives of people who need support.
We've got all the information and tools to help you start making a difference!
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Don't know where to start? m.a.d. books are crammed full of tips to inspire you to better contribute to your community and the environment
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Single with a good heart? Single Volunteers events not only give you the chance to make a difference to the community, there's also every chance you might meet someone special!
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Gals doin' Good! It's amazing what a bunch of women can achieve in one evening - this is the perfect introduction to volunteering.
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Are you keen to make your workplace m.a.d.? We offer team-building days and corporate speaking with a difference
Register to be m.a.d. and we'll keep you up to date with all the ways you can make a difference.
Quiz for a Cause!
Everybody loves a trivia night and we're supporting this one because it's for a great cause - supporting BrainLink's work to reduce the impact of acquired brain injury in our community.
Date: Tuesday 28 July 2009
Time: 7pm for a 7:30pm start
Location: The Village Green Hotel
Corner Springvale Rd and Ferntree Gully Rd, Mulgrave
Cost: $20 per head
Tickets: Contact Vanessa on 9845 2955 or info@brainlink.org.au
If you get together a table of 10 people, as the 'table organiser' you'll receive a m.a.d. woman voucher worth $55 redeemable at any event.
m.a.d.woman wins Communicator of the Year 2009 award!
m.a.d. woman founder and CEO Melina Schamroth has been named RMIT Communicator of the Year 2009. Melina co-won the award with former High Court Judge The Hon Michael Kirby.
Read more about this amazing honour here.
Single Volunteers was recently featured on Channel Seven's new show Guide to the Good Life (watch the segment here) and has also featured on ABC's Stateline (check out clip here).
For more info about m.a.d.woman in the media, click here m.a.d. mentions
Check out the m.a.d.woman Eco-Animation!
Donate a single man!
While some charities seek donations of money or goods, m.a.d.woman encourages you to donate good quality single men.
Keen to promote recycling in all areas of the community, m.a.d.woman is seeking responsible friends and family to get eligible single bachelors back into circulation for a great cause - single women!
We get so many fabulous single women enrolling for every Single Volunteers event, but men are much slower to sign up.
With statistics showing it is harder than ever for single women to find the right man, m.a.d.woman is calling on people to search couches, pubs, Facebook friends and their mobile phone directories to find great single men who could be connected with single women with a view to enhancing both their lives.
Even if the men don't find love, they might find new friends and feel good about contributing to the community they live in.
Please 'send' your single men to this website. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink, so please DON'T sign guys up without their knowledge.
Guys who are interested in taking part should Register to be m.a.d. and then we will be in touch with upcoming events.
Same-Sex Singles
We're kicking off Same-Sex Single Volunteers for the homosexual community in Melbourne with a Cooking for a Cause event. If you are interested, please Register to be m.a.d. and then Contact Us.
Australia - we're listening to you!
Australia, we're hearing you! You tell us you want us to run Single Volunteers in all States. Well, if enough of you sign up, we'll be heading your way before the year is out.
We've had some great interest already, so tell your friends and we'll be back in touch.
Make sure you Register to be m.a.d. and we'll be in contact when we've got news of an upcoming event.
Improve your garden and save the planet with Earthmaker aerobic compost bins
Australians have a new option to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions with the arrival of the Earthmaker.
Earthmaker, the world's most aerobic compost bin, is designed to reduce more greenhouse gas emissions than any other domestic composter. Greenhouse gas
(carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide) creates global warming.
The Earthmaker's unique aerobic process aerates food and garden waste without effort. It uses the same principle as the traditional three-bin method, but stacks the bins on top of each other so gravity does the hard work for you. Independent research has shown the Earthmaker produces twice as much compost as traditional bins over the same period.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australians send more than 21 million tonnes of solid waste to landfill annually. Over 40%, (8.4 million tonnes) is composed of material which includes green organic and food waste. This organic waste is of low density, can take up double the volume of landfill than other waste and creates greenhouse gas emissions.
Landfill volumes and greenhouse gas emissions (methane) could be heavily reduced by householders managing their organic waste on their own properties using the Earthmaker.
Waste buried at landfill produces methane gas - which is 23 times stronger than carbon dioxide. Transporting organic waste also adds to greenhouse gas emissions. Traditional single bin composting also produces methane. Because it's aerobic, not only is Earthmaker composting not smelly, but its aerobic process significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Made from recyclable material, the patented three-chamber system accepts a continuous input of organic material in through the top and provides a continuous source of quality organic compost at the bottom.
The Earthmaker is available in Australia online at http://www.earthmaker.com.au/cms/index.php?page=home or now also available at Bunnings - Buy now!
Campaign to help autistic Jessie communicate
Five-year-old Jessica screamed and thrashed wildly the entire plane journey from the Gold Coast to Melbourne. It took the efforts of both parents to hold her down and a dummy in her mouth to try to quieten her.
In the queue for bags, Jessie's father overheard a woman discussing his daughter. "Clearly she is totally spoiled and a dummy - at her age! - it's a disgrace".
He couldn't help himself. "She's autistic," he said. The woman did not utter another word.
Latest research has shown that autism is a condition that effects up to one in every 160 Australian children. While every autistic child is different, and the severity varies widely, common symptoms are problems with communication, social skills, behaviour, sensory processing and an inability to understand the world around them.
"High anxiety levels are very common and often result in tantrums, social isolation and strange or repetitive play," says Jessie's mother Ellen.
"It's hard work, but when she's happy, Jessica is joy. Her smile lights up her face and her giggle is infectious. She's cheeky, sneaky and wonderful. She is full of energy, and keeps us on our toes. No matter what each day brings, we love and adore both Jessie and our other gorgeous daughter Brooke equally and for what each of them brings to our lives," she says.
In Jessica's case, she is unable to communicate beyond her request-based vocabulary of around 10 words, and even those are hard to understand by anyone other than her parents.
m.a.d.woman and Ellen's business L'il El have launched the Critters with a Cause campaign to raise both awareness of conditions like Jessie's and funds for picture-based systems to enable Jessie and others to communicate more easily.
To read more on this story, click here.
Critters with a cause
While most of us are afraid of finding something creepy crawly in our homes, the creatures of the Critter Collection are the type of critters you'll want to invite into your room.
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only will they brighten rooms but part-proceeds of sales of these bright and colourful characters will go toward funding special pictorial-based education programs to help give autistic kids a voice (through a special fund within the m.a.d.woman foundation).
The Critter Collection by Li'l El is designed by Melbourne mother Ellen Naismith whose five-year-old daughter Jessica has autism. You can read more about Jessie's story here.
These cute lightweight wall plaques are supplied with double-sided tape which is suitable for most surfaces. Whether you choose just one favourite character or fill a whole wall, these critters are a quick and easy way to add life, fun and character to any room!
The critters make great new baby presents as their happy faces, bright colours and high contrast provide excellent visual stimulation for infants. They are also perfect for brightening up your own home or as a gift that keeps on giving! Click here to buy now - you will be brightening a room and someone's life!
Printed on recycled paper using soy ink and a waterless process, half the profits go to support social and environmental programs through the m.a.d.woman foundation.
