Noble Awards, creators of custom made glass plaques, awards and gifts, is preparing to celebrate the opening of a community centre in rural Philippines funded, in part, by the sale of its awards.
The unique mementos created by Noble Awards will deliver more than just a mark of celebration, thanks and achievement; they will also help to enable communities in poverty stricken areas to achieve their own goals.
Children from the Central Mindanao region of the Philippines attending Noble Endeavours school
Noble Awards’ sister charity, Noble Endeavours, was established solely to assist in building sustainable communities and will this month see the completion of the Jan McKay Community Centre.
As an opportunity to give back through business, Ian McKay, CEO of Noble Awards, describes how the business supports his view for the communities he lives and works in. “I was once asked to speak to a group of business people and realised there is only so much I can say about glass awards and gifts, and so I decided to talk about why I am in business. As I see it, I have an opportunity to make a difference and be an agent for change in the communities I live and work in. Life just seems to make more sense when our dreams, visions and goals are bigger than us.”
Ian and Jan McKay with members of the tribal community from the Central Mindanao region of the Philippines
After visiting isolated rural areas of the Philippines for more than 12 years, Ian and his wife Janice developed their vision for bringing positive change to the local people. Together they co-founded Noble Endeavours; an organisation dedicated to building sustainable communities. After first being diagnosed with cancer in 2002, seeing the vision come to fruition was especially important for Janice, whose battle with cancer ended in 2010. Throughout the ups and downs of her illness, Janice’s vision of Noble Endeavours remained strong. When she did pass away, she had the knowledge and satisfaction that her and Ian’s shared vision had become a reality and would continue to grow.
Ongoing medical and dental support is being provided by local doctors
Working together with Global Development Group, an Australian AusAID approved NGO, Noble Endeavours’ partnership with a tribal community, located in a rural area of the Central Mindanao region of the Philippines, is the organisation’s core focus.
Noble Endeavours has worked with the local community on a holistic development project to help train and empower them to become more self-sufficient. In the past two years, this has included helping to establish a school on four hectares of tribal land, with three classes and 103 indigenous children receiving a free education and hot meal every day. The surrounding community has also been provided with a purified water system to deliver clean water for over 1000 people, and a regular health and dental program for the village.
The Jan McKay Community Centre is a focal point for the community
As future plans, the new Jan McKay Community Centre will include a further two classrooms, meeting hall, church, library, guest accommodation and a fully functioning health clinic. Even before completion, the Community Centre had become the focal point, and vibrant centre, of community life.
Importantly, livelihood programs have been established with pigs and goats, and training is being provided to local villagers on starting and managing a small business. At the heart of this program has been the planting of over 1000 rubber trees to provide employment and future funding for the school. To guarantee self-sufficiency for the school and community, a functioning goat farm, piggery, fish farm, vegetable garden, and a program to sustain the existing rubber plantation and orchards, are in development.
Livelihood programs have been established with pigs and goats
On observing the extent of changes he has seen beyond the remote Fillipino village, Ian believes that the event industry has helped to spread the word and continues to contribute to Noble Endeavours’ success. “By linking my business to growing sustainable communities, I am seeing amazing change in the village of Sandongan and also in the lives of the Australian volunteers and supporters that have rallied to support this project.”
Delwin Kriel, event manager at Exhibition and Trade Fairs, describes why they chose to recognise the dedication and support of their long-term event sponsors with a gift from Noble Awards.
“What appeals to us about Noble Awards is that it’s not just giving a person or a business a gift; through Noble Endeavours, the purchase of those awards is also supporting people in disadvantaged areas of the world.
“Added to that, the team at Noble Awards are amazing to work with; they are so dedicated and passionate about delivering exceptional products and service to their customers. Plus, their unwavering commitment to developing the Noble Endeavours program is inspiring, and we are delighted to be a supporter of their projects”, said Kriel.
For more information visit www.nobleawards.com.au or www.nobleendeavours.biz