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The charity foundation behind Manly’s clash with the Sydney Roosters has vowed donate proceeds to help the mental wellbeing of LGBTQI communities.
Overlooked among the drama of Manly’s seven withdrawals this week, Thursday’s game will be the first for the Gotcha4Life Cup, a charity focusing on mental fitness.
Manly sponsor Shaw and Partners and Roosters counterpart UniBet have donated $100,000 each to radio presenter Gus Worland’s charity, as well as giving up prominent jersey space.
Jerseys from the match will also be auctioned off, with the value of already sold-out Sea Eagles strips now expected to skyrocket.
Along with that and other contributions from fans at the ground, the total donations from the sponsors and supporters will likely go close to the $300,000 mark.
Under the Gotcha4Life system, donors can nominate the area of mental fitness they wish for proceeds to be directed towards.
An exact breakdown will be determined next week, but both sponsors and Worland spoke on Thursday to agree a significant portion will go towards the LGBTQI community.
“We will be talking to the right people in those communities to get that money spent in the right area,” Worland told AAP.
“We want to make it so we can really help some people that might have been affected in the past few days.
“It might be a real beacon of hope for them moving forward.”
Worland will work closely with Ian Roberts on the matter, while making clear his belief that it is important to acknowledge different beliefs in a week such as this.
He has also been quick to point out that members of the community are three-times more likely to commit suicide, fearing the impact recent days have had on teenagers wishing to come out.
“I am worried about any young child (who could be struggling this week),” Worland said.
(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
“Speaking to a couple of producers on our show who are gay, they say (this negative spotlight) can really stop people being open and honest and talking about their feelings.
“There are so many young kids out there who end up taking their own life because they can’t come up with the words to tell someone how they feel.
“Or how they get affected by the reaction when they tell their families.”
But Worland is determined to turn the matter into a lasting positive, following Roberts’ mantra that good things can come out of the situation.
And beyond more awareness and talk, he is hopeful the charity move will be able to assist young people battling with their own situation.
“We need action,” Worland said.
“There is way too much focus on awareness, not on action. We have the awareness, everyone knows about it.
“Now it’s up to us to actually turn that into action … That can only be a positive.”
Help is available for anyone in need of improving their mental health: Lifeline 13 11 14; beyondblue 1300 22 4636; Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25).
© AAP
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