22 May 2024

Asian Australian Foundation 2024 Annual Dinner

THE CHANGING FACE OF A NATION: IMPLICATIONS, CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES

This year, join us on 22 May 2024 at 6.30pm at the Pavilion Room at Arts Centre Melbourne for a thought-provoking discussion on changing demographic trends and their implications. All profits from the dinner go towards supporting the work of the Asian Australian Foundation which provides education grants to qualifying organisations to support our community.

The key speaker for the night will be Hari Hara Priya Kannan, Chief Data Scientist with The Demographics Group. Hari specialises in Australian demographics data. She regularly presents on insights relating to consumer, workforce and social demographic trends that are shaping Australia today and into the future. Hari writes a monthly column for The Australian newspaper on business demographics. She holds degrees in software engineering and data science from leading universities in Bangalore and Melbourne.

Hari will then be joined by Vivien Nguyen AM, Chairperson, Victorian Multicultural Commission and BenMcLean, Executive General Manager Digital Health, Wesfarmers Health on a panel facilitated by Tuanh Nguyen, partner, Norton Rose Fulbright.

Book your tickets now at https://www.trybooking.com/CQIGL

We thank our Gold Sponsor, Blueways Group and Silver Sponsor, Hunt & Hunt Lawyers for sponsoring the event.

18 October 2023

Come together to have fun, a laugh, to network whilst supporting the Asian Australian Foundation. Book your tickets now. Details below. SCAN THE QR CODE to BOOK YOUR TICKETS.

23 May 2023

On 23 May 2023 AAF held its annual dinner and teamed up with media partner for the event, Social Wave and Level: Asian to bring a panel including Tanya Hosch, General Manager of Inclusion and Social Policy at the Australian Football League and 2021 South Australian, Australian of the Year, Joanna Lin, an Australian rules footballer for Collingwood Football Club’s AFL Women’s (AFLW) team and Jiaming (Jamie) Pi, Australian Football League and Australian Football League Women's Accredited Agent and AFL Chinese Community Representative to have the conversations that matter.

 Kan Huang, Director and Head of Strategy at Social Wave and Level Asian facilitated the panel discussion on the topic of  “Amplifying Shared Voices: Extraordinary Sporting Stories of Asian Australians”.

 All profit from the dinner will go towards supporting the work of the Asian Australian Foundation to provide education grants to qualifying organisations to support our community. 

17 May 2022

On 17 May 2022, AAF Supporters and donors gathered after 2 long years to celebrate the privilege of giving.

We heard from our grantees; Swinburne University of Technology through Professor Pascale Quester, Vice Chancellor and President, AAF Scholarship recipient, Stephanie Ho, and also Dr Lois Peeler AM, Principal and Executive Director of Worawa Aboriginal College, our newest grant recipient.

It was a great night of renewing friendships and connections and making new ones which saw us welcome guests from Westpac Banking Corporation, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, Jeanswest and Glorious Sun Group, Hall & Wilcox, Senia Lawyers, Aitken Partners and SPP Partners amongst others.

We thank our Platinum Sponsors Blueways group and Landream Group.

See photos of the event here.

10 November 2020

Asian Australian Foundation Hope in Motion has been launched!

Let’s come together to get us all moving!

Challenge yourself to virtually walk, run, swim or cycle our breathtaking winery routes to support education programs that help rebuild our community to emerge stronger from COVID19.

Please help raise funds to support education programs that help rebuild our community to emerge stronger from COVID-19. Click to join here.

6 May 2019

Asian Australian Foundation dinner on 19 June 2019

This year, the Asian Australian Foundation Oration dinner will be held on 19 June 2019.  The 2019 Asian Australian Foundation Oration will be delivered by Professor the Hon Gareth Evans AC QC. The topic will be: “ Asian Australians. Asian Century.”

The dinner will be an opportunity for fundraising through a silent auction, networking and to witness the awarding of grants to organisations that the AAF is supporting. We hope you will join us on 19 June 2019 at 6.30pm at the Pavilion room at the Victorian Arts Centre. Bookings can be made by 6 June 2019 at  https://www.trybooking.com/BCJVO

14 August 2018

AAF Gathering Circle event - “Crazy Rich Asians”

The AAF Gathering Circle is holding a movie night  with a difference! As part of sharing what the AAF is about, the Gathering Circle will be holding a fundraiser movie night to “Crazy Rich Asians” which is based on the worldwide bestseller of the same title by Kevin Kwan. It is the first major Hollywood production (directed by Jon M Chu) to have an all Asian cast in 25 years including 3 Asian Australians (Chris Pang, Ronny Cheng and Remy Hii).  

It will be a fun night of networking and a great way to introduce friends and family to AAF. All proceeds from the night will go towards supporting our partner grantee PANDA.

The event is fabulously  sponsored by Jeanswest Corporation, SILC Group and Charter Keck Cramer.

To book tickets for the night which will be on 5 September 2018 commencing at 5.45pm at Palace Cinema Como, The Como Centre: Lvl 1, Cnr Toorak Rd and Chapel St, South Yarra, go to https://www.trybooking.com/410072

1 April 2018

Inaugural Asian Australian Foundation Oration dinner on 5 June 2018

The AAF is this year launching the Asian Australian Foundation Oration dinner. The oration will showcase and celebrate the contribution and impact of leaders of Asian heritage to Australia, communities and the world. The Asian Australian Foundation Oration will be the first of its kind and be delivered by Dr. Tim Soutphommasane, Race Discrimination Commissioner. The topic will be:

“ The challenges for diversity in an environment of increasing populism. Where does Australia sit in this spectrum and how should Asian Australians show leadership in embracing such challenges.”

 The dinner will also be an opportunity for networking, and to witness the awarding of grants to organisations that the AAF is supporting (including through its Circle of Promise giving circle initiative) and has supported. It will be a meaningful and inspirational night and we hope you will join us on 5 June 2018 at 6.30pm at the Pavilion room at the Victorian Arts Centre. For further details, please see the attached invitation.

Details and bookings can be made by 10 May 2018 at

https://www.trybooking.com/UUSZ 
or  
https://www.trybooking.com/365533

Circle of Promise and other key donors can access tickets to the event at a special rate of $250 per person/ $2500 per table of ten. Non donor tickets are $285 per person/ $2850 per table of ten.

The event is proudly sponsored by our Gold Sponsors Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited, Equity Trustees Limited, Blueways Group with Silver Sponsor, Moray & Agnew Lawyers.

21 September 2017

As part of executing on the mission of AAF, we are launching an exciting new initiative – The Gathering Circle.

This initiative gathers women, particularly Asian Australian women together, to share their resources, knowledge and experience in a way that focuses on leadership through giving for the benefit of the wider community.  It is about harnessing the desire, commitment and passion as women, to make a positive contribution.  It is “Women empowering Women through Giving”.

Our inaugural “Fashion for A Cause” Event

We are launching the Gathering Circle with a fabulous “Fashion for a Cause” event. Likeminded women (and a few men!) especially from the Asian Australian community who love fashion will gather to enjoy an evening of entertainment, featuring a fashion parade.  This inaugural “Fashion For A Cause” fundraising event, scheduled for 25th October 2017 at the Gallery, 361 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne will feature local designers, in a relaxed and sophisticated atmosphere.  Guests will have the opportunity to network and have drinks and canapés. Tickets are $150 per person and ticket sales from the event will raise funds for the AAF and auction proceeds will go to an AAF nominated charity. For details of the event click here.  For further information about this initiative and the "Fashion for A Cause" event, please contact us at contact@aafoundation.org.au.

7 June 2017

In June 2017, AAF made the following grants:

Through the Circle of Promise initative:

• A $10,000 grant to Anxiety Recovery Centre Victoria, a state-wide, specialist mental health organisation, providing support, recovery and educational services to people and families living with anxiety disorders. The grant is to be used to fund multilingual eduction and workshops on mental health. For details on their work, see http://www.arcvic.com.au.

• A $10,000 grant to First Step a multi-disciplinary, not-for-profit medical clinic in St Kilda which assists patients overcome dependence on drugs or alcohol including mental health issues arising from such dependence. A number of these patients are from the Vietnamese community and the grant will go towards part funding of a resource to assist patients. For details of their work, see http://www.firststep.org.au.

• AAF continued to be a major partner of Western Chances , an organisation that assists motivated young people in Melbourne’s Western suburbs realise their potential by providing scholarships, opportunity programs and ongoing support through a grant of $5,000. For details on the work of Western Chances, see www.westernchances.org.au.

6 April 2017

The Asian Australian Foundation will be holding its inaugral Circle of Promise Awards Dinner on Wednesday 7 June 2017 from 6.30pm to 10.30pm at Level 17,  RACV Club, 501 Bourke Street, Melbourne. The evening will bring together supporters of the Foundation including the Circle of Promise supporters and others. Tickets are $200 per person or $2000 per table of ten. For further details please contact us at contact@aafoundation.org.au.  

12 August 2016

The Asian Australian Foundation gratefully thanks and acknowledges the Hong Kong Australia Business Association – Victoria Chapter for its leadership, support and generous donation of $5352 presented at its recent Awards dinner. The donation was given even more impact by the magnanimous gesture of Scott Keck, Chairman of Charter Keck Cramer who matched the donation. 

The donation will go towards building corpus of and grants from the Foundation. 

10 June 2016

The Asian Australian Foundation is pleased to have made a grant to Western Chances. www.westernchances.org.au

Rhyll Dorrington, CEO of Western Chances says:

"The impact of the Asian Australian Foundation’s generous grant to Western Chances will be significant in transforming the lives of around five talented and motivated young people facing financial barriers to completing their education. Financial hardship is a significant barrier to education. Low income families struggle to afford the costs to enable their children to participate fully in secondary education or tertiary studies. It can cost more than $5,000 to put a child through their first year of a government high school in Melbourne.

These young people supported by the Asian Australian Foundation will be awarded merit based, tailor made scholarships to purchase essential items not provided by schools, including text books, MYKI, laptops, internet and specialist lessons. Recipients will have the life changing opportunity to remain in education, go on to further education, training and employment and fulfil their potential.

Receiving a Western Chances scholarship provides recipients with belief from an external organisation, and belief from Western Chances’s committed donors like the Asian Australian Foundation, that they have potential and are recognised and acknowledged for their talent and motivation. "

“Western Chances does not give out ‘chances’ but, ‘futures” – Western Chances Scholarship Recipient.