Step behind the busy planning and construction face of Australia‘s biggest pool builder, Blue Haven Pools and Spas with its 12 display centres across NSW and Queensland and 3000 plus contracts per year and there is another side to this hugely successful family business.
Most pools are built for Australian families, but a substantial and increasing number are going to people who are suffering from disabilities or to those less fortunate in our society.
A good example of this is a new $45,000 pool just completed at Jilliby on the central coast for the Samaritan Foundation, a respite centre, caring for people with physical and intellectual disabilities.
Support for the Foundation earned Blue Haven “The Good Samaritan of the Year†Award.
It is the latest gift in a series of pools, spas and sponsorships valued dat over $1 million donated by Blue Haven to various charities in a quiet, low-key way.
Other organisations to benefit include: Millennium Foundation (Childrens Hospital), Variety Club, Exodus Foundation, Moto Neurone disease, Breast Cancer Foundation, Homes for Hope, Life Line, Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children, Special Olympics Australia and Make A Wish Foundation.
At the Samaritan respite centre, the facility provides much needed help for relatives and carers with the disabled receiving all meals and accommodation and 24-hour care and attention by highly trained staff.
It provides holiday respite for 120 people. For one week, three times a year, this home gives their families a much needed break.
But the intense summer heat at Jilliby was a problem for the handicapped, so the Samaritan Foundation management sent a SOS to Blue Haven. Within days, the company responded with an offer of a 10 metre by 6 metre in-ground concrete pool.
The new pool is to be fitted with a special hoist to raise and lower wheel chair users into and out of the water.
Samaritan Foundation fund raising manager Libby Rodgers McPhee said Blue Haven‘s offer will ensure much needed exercise for their disabled clients. “It‘s such a wonderful gesture by a very generous companyâ€, she said.
Libby McPhee is not the only charity worker to thank Blue Haven. Prominent actor and charity fund raiser Paula Duncan AM detailed some of the many contributions the company has made to a raft of organisations she is involved with including MAKE A WISH AUSTRALIA, Sunshine Home, Royal Hospital for Women and Wesley Mission.
“For MAKE A WISH AUSTRALIA, Blue Haven built four swimming pools to make wishes come true for kids with life threatening illnessesâ€, Paula Duncan said.
“Sunshine Home, an organization helping intellectually disabled men women and children has been another major beneficiary of Blue Haven‘s generosity, with the company donating spas, sponsorships and prizes.
At the Royal Hospital for Women, Blue Haven sponsored a major fund raiser ball at Star City for the hospital‘s breast care centre and has also been a consistently strong sponsor of Wesley Mission charities with dozens of sponsored events for Kids In Crisis, suicide prevention, homeless kids and drought relief.
On the sporting front, Blue Haven has provided substantial funding to help send Special Olympics group to China for the Beijing Olympics.
“The heart and soul of this company are its owners Ray and Mary Awadallah who are the most generous, compassionate and fun-loving people I've ever met.†said Paula Duncan.
“Despite the fact that Mary herself struggles with cystic fibrosis, they both still manage to take time out to help so many others. Ray and Mary believe in the concept of family and, their family supports the community. They certainly demonstrate that there is enough love to go around.â€
About Blue Haven:
Blue Haven is completely family-owned and operated throughout Sydney and Central Coast. It is an innovator and industry leader & is committed to providing the largest range of both a good product and great service to its customers and community. It provides the backyard pool a more affordable option than any other builder. With its evolving business strategies, its business has grown tremendously in the past decade. Blue Haven has grown to be recognised the world over as an innovator in the swimming pool and spa industry. For more details visit http://www.bluehaven.com.au/