Anti-bullying values align

Richmond Football Club and The Alannah and Madeline Foundation have buddied up to help support Cardinia's school children.

ALIGNED Leisure is working with the Alannah and Madeline Foundation and the Shire of Cardinia to help protect children from the devastating effects of violence and bullying.
Richmond Football Club CEO Brendon Gale said it was a commitment made to the local community when Aligned Leisure successfully tendered to manage the Shire of Cardinia’s major recreational facilities.
Aligned Leisure is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Richmond Football Club whose preferred charity partner is the Alannah and Madeline Foundation.
This partnership has enabled Aligned Leisure to fund the establishment of the Alannah and Madeline Foundation’s Better Buddy framework into every primary school in the region.
At present, 22 of the shire’s 31 primary and combined schools have adopted the program.
If the remaining nine schools adopt it, the Shire of Cardinia will be the only region in Victoria that has the program in every primary or combined school.
Aligned Leisure took over management of Cardinia Life and seven other major health and recreational facilities on 1 July.
“We want to genuinely support and strengthen the communities in which we operate and the development of Aligned Leisure provides us with a great opportunity to do that,” Mr Gale said.
“We place enormous value in our partnership with the Alannah and Madeline Foundation.
“It does brilliant work supporting children across the country and we are pleased to have been able to help them build a significant presence in the Shire of Cardinia.”
The Alannah and Madeline Foundation CEO Lesley Podesta said the Better Buddies framework supported children in their first year of primary school through working with older students as role models.
“Better Buddies has been pivotal in preventing bullying in schools since its launch in 2000,” Ms Podesta said.
“We are thrilled that Richmond Football Club and Aligned Leisure have committed to rolling out Better Buddies across the Shire of Cardinia.”