20 April 2014
How you made the bus tour a success
Posted in High Court
The ‘Back Our Chappies‘ Bus Tour, from 10th March to 2nd April, was an incredible journey around Queensland.
Whether it was out west in the drought-affected areas, amongst the tropical cane fields, or along the beautiful sandy beaches, it was amazing to see first-hand the transforming work chappies are doing. Many of our friends just like you showed up in droves to support their local chaplains!
The bus tour’s outcomes have been amazing.
- More than 60 events were held across the state – We held fundraisers, training sessions and information nights, from Brisbane, to Mount Isa, Cairns to Stanthorpe.
- A closer connection with our supporters – We provided face-to-face updates, answered lingering questions and provided training for local chaplaincy fundraisers and Local Chaplaincy Committee (LCC) treasurers.
- Extra awareness for chaplains ahead of the High Court Challenge – More than 600,000 people were reached through media coverage generated by the tour.
- Thousands of Statements of Support – We collected close to 5,000 statements of support for school chaplaincy during the tour, bringing us to more than 80,000 statements… a powerful message that chaplaincy is considered vital in local communities.
- Encouraging our chaplains – More than 600 chaplains are working in 800 schools around the state. While we couldn’t visit them all, we connected with hundreds of chaplains in their home towns. There was genuine excitement when our chappies witnessed the crowds of people turning out to support their work.
We owe a very special thank you to our tour supporters, Vanderfield and Black Toyota, and many other friends like you who covered the cost of this tour and lent us your support and prayers. You made it all possible!
Visit www.backourchappies.com.au/tour to watch video diaries of each stop and hear what chaplains are doing in your area.
The Bus Tour in numbers
- 5,000 Statements of Support collected
- 79 media appearances
- 20 training and information sessions held for LCCs
- 1000’s of sausages cooked at community events
- 27 towns visited
- 23 schools visited
