Melbourne, Wednesday 8 May 2024: Well-known Melbourne born charity St Kilda Mums, and its regional equivalents, Geelong Mums and Eureka Mums, have unveiled plans to help more babies and children in need, announcing an exciting rebrand to ‘Our Village’ - with the financial support of L’Oréal Groupe.
Created in 2009 by a group of five mums in St Kilda, the charity now proudly services all 79 local government areas across Victoria. Its purpose is to provide parents and carers of young children who are doing it tough with pre-loved essentials via community donations of nursery equipment, cots, prams, car seats and clothes. Last year, the charity reached over 20,000 babies and children across metro and regional Victoria, rehoming over 65,000 items valued at more than $7million.
Now setting its sights on expanding this support, the charity has set itself a goal to help every Victorian child in need up to the age of six by 2030. The 2030 growth strategy also focuses on reducing waste and fostering a circular economy.
The announcement of the rebrand to ‘Our Village’, which was launched at a special Mother’s Day lunch in Melbourne, reflects this ambition along with the continued commitment and dedication the charity receives from both volunteers and the community. The L’Oréal Groupe has been named as a founding partner of Our Village, with its investment both enabling the rebrand and setting it on a path to help even more babies and children with an expanded geographical presence.
Speaking firsthand to the impact the charity has on the community, Our Village CEO, Ruth Holdaway stated; “The support we provide is all about relieving pressure and stress on anyone caring for small children. It’s about creating an opportunity for every child to thrive. With our services more in demand than ever, we’re grateful for the support of everyone involved, particularly that of the L’Oréal Groupe in this new chapter and in bringing our new vision to life.”
“The name, Our Village, alongside the new logo, encapsulates all that we do and our goal to uplift every child across the state no matter their start in life. It takes a village to raise a child and save the planet – this is the power of Our Village,” continued Ms. Holdaway.
The new logo which features a balloon symbolising Our Village’s mission to uplift children and families across Victoria and beyond.
L’Oréal Groupe Corporate Affairs & Engagement Officer, Marnie Carroll is a long-standing volunteer of Our Village.
Ms. Carroll says of L’Oréal Groupe’s support; “The number of families Our Village touches is incredible. Having spent many years working alongside Ruth and the team, I truly understand the ripple effect this has.
“As a mum myself, I know how much this type of support is appreciated by parents, particularly at a time when they’re doing it tough. L’Oréal’s ambition is to create beauty that moves the world, and we strive to invest in partnerships that contribute across two of our key pillars, people and the planet, to support both the D&I and sustainability goals of our business. We are very proud to have contributed to bringing Our Village to life and look forward to supporting it on its inspiring growth journey in Australia.”
About us:
About Our Village:
Our Village is an exciting new chapter for three of Victoria's most loved charities. St Kilda Mums, Geelong Mums and Eureka Mums have joined forces. Together, as Our Village, we will increase our impact for babies, children and the environment. This move enables us to put more resources on the front line to achieve our goals of reaching every Victorian baby and child up to the age of six that needs us while reducing the waste that ends up in landfill. Our Village collects pre-loved essential items for babies and children and partners with social services to re-home them so no baby or child goes without. We were founded on the belief that anything is possible when we work together. Today we are a dedicated community of donors and volunteers helping over 20,000 babies and children every year and reducing the waste that ends up in landfill. We welcome volunteers on a daily basis at our warehouses in Melbourne and Geelong to help us prepare donations for distribution.
About L'Oréal Groupe, Australia & New Zealand
L’Oréal Australia & New Zealand is part of the L’Oréal Groupe. L’Oréal has devoted itself to beauty for the last 114 years. With its unique international portfolio of 37 diverse and complementary brands, the Group generated sales amounting to 38.26 billion euros in 2022 and employs over 85,000 people worldwide. As the world’s leading Beauty Company, L’Oréal is present across all distribution networks: mass market, department stores, pharmacies and drugstores, hair salons, travel retail and branded retail.
In Australia the Group has 32 brands and 26 in New Zealand - available across all channels nationwide. L’Oréal Australia & New Zealand is dedicated to its sense of purpose, “Create the beauty that moves the world”.
Contact details:
Bryony Smith (Edelman for L’Oréal Groupe)
Senior Account Manager
P: 0432 159 901
Lucy Devlin (Edelman for L’Oréal Groupe)
Assistant Account Executive
P: 0478 531 338