06 Jun A blog from Loren

It’s all been happening – the last 3 months have been an absolute whirlwind.

I had the idea of creating Missing Persons Advocacy Network (MPAN) about a year ago, but hearing about the Vodafone World of Difference was the catalyst to actualising it.

You see, in order to be eligible for the grant, the charity had to not only exist (duh) but have DGR (Deductible Gift Recipient) status from the  ATO (Australian Taxation Office). It wasn’t easy, but all of the paperwork was worth it – we got the grant!

In the past month I’ve been able to really start MPAN. I’ve got a Board, a fundraising licence, an office space (no more hovering over the laptop at my kitchen table!), fabulous volunteers and bigger plans every day. It’s full steam ahead, given that both Run Melbourne (our first fundraiser) and National Missing Persons Week (NMPW) are just around the corner (28 July – 3 August). I’m busy schmoozing famous people (for a TV commercial I want to have aired on Network Ten for NMPW) and am so excited about the fact that this is really real now.

Through Dan Come Home, the public has shown that they care about this issue, and it’s time we do something about it.

– Loren