Our 10th Business Women’s Lunch funds 3333 days of rehab

The Odyssey House NSW Business Women’s Lunch has been an annual highlight on our calendar for ten years now. We are always thankful for the opportunity to raise funds and friends for our cause, share a delicious lunch with like-minded people, learn from leading business women, and give guests a firsthand insight into someone’s journey to overcome alcohol and other drug dependence.

With the new financial year underway, it’s timely to announce that almost $100,000 was raised during the lunch on 8 May – a record amount from a record 350+ generous guests. Thank you. These vital funds could help Odyssey House provide:

·         3333 days/nights of therapy, support and accommodation for people in our Residential Rehabilitation Program

·         20 specialised therapy groups for people with anxiety and depression

·         100 group therapy sessions

·         500 one-on-one counselling sessions

We are also very thankful to Odyssey House graduate Tracey for sharing her moving story of ‘becoming who she was meant to be’ after 15 months of residential rehabilitation for gambling and alcohol dependence.

Tracey’s key messages that resounded with guests include:

1.       Addiction isn’t a decision or a conscious choice; it overtakes you.

2.       Addiction can affect anyone; people are all the same underneath and what really matters is who you are and where you are going, not where you’ve been.

3.       Habits are very powerful. In the same way that good habits can change your life, bad habits can bring you down before you even notice – like two glasses of wine a day becoming two bottles a day.

4.       Be honest with others and yourself. Don’t compromise your real emotions and beliefs or your true self, and don’t bottle up your thoughts and feelings. Stand up for yourself, show responsible concern for others and face up to problems.

5.       Put aside your brave, ‘this can’t be happening to me’ face and reach out for help. It’s a sign of strength, not weakness.

Finally, we extend our thanks to our MC Natalie Barr and our outstanding panel for their personal insights into the challenges women face in earning respect and maintaining integrity in the modern workforce: journalist Jennifer Hewett, Olympic swimmer Cate Campbell, Westpac Institutional Bank CEO Lyn Cobley and NSW Health Secretary Elizabeth Koff.

We’re already looking forward to the next Odyssey House Business Women’s Lunch in May 2020!