|PIC1|Wesley Mission Superintendent/ CEO Rev Keith Garner commended Lifeline Sydney's efforts. "I am pleased to have this recognition of the worth of Lifeline Sydney's work," he said.
"We do good work in every office of Wesley Mission and it is good to have this work celebrated. We want to encourage our people in their successes."
The award was presented to Lifeline Sydney at a ceremony presided over by the Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore MP on 27 August.
Cathy McGough, Lifeline Sydney's Fundraising Coordinator and Penny Mayson, Face-to-Face Counselling Coordinator, proudly accepted the award on behalf of Lifeline Sydney and Sutherland 250 volunteer telephone counsellors, emphasising that without them Lifeline Sydney and Sutherland would not be able to continue with their service to the community.
The awards were based on excellence in leadership, business success, business planning, community participation and contribution and environmental planning and initiatives.
The judging panel included representatives specialising in innovation, small business and sustainability from organizations such as ANZ Bank, the Australian Graduate School of Management and the City of Sydney Economic Development Unit and Environmental Development Unit.
Lifeline Sydney, with 12 employees and its Surry Hills location, met the basic entry criteria aimed at small to medium-sized businesses with fewer than 200 employees in the CBD area.
The driving force behind Wesley Mission's entry was Cathy McGough, who believed that it was a good way to let more local businesses realize that Sydney Lifeline operates in their area and deserves community support.
"This year's City of Sydney Business Awards saw an enormous number of entries … with small and medium businesses throughout City of Sydney taking the opportunity to gain recognition for their hard work and achievement," the Lord Mayor said in a speech on the occasion.
"A thriving and creative small-to-medium business sector is very much part of our vision for Sustainable Sydney 2030, so it's encouraging to see the impressive level of participation, the commitment of time, energy and imagination these awards generate."
To ensure that the city of Sydney Business Awards also embody a message of sustainability, organisers said, the Gala Awards Dinner was a carbon neutral event: every aspect, from transport to food and energy, had the lowest possible impact on the environment. All energy used for the event was 100 per cent renewable, supplied by EnergyAustralia.
Wesley Mission