Sailing for a Cause: Supporting the Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation

LEAP recently attended the Diamond event, a signature fundraising event organised by the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation (SCHF). The Diamond Event is a celebrated cocktail event, combining celebrity MCs, music and entertainment, live auction, live pledging, jewellery and holiday raffles, raising much needed funds to help all sick kids. Held over the past 13 years, this event has raised nearly $6million for the SCHF and supported vital services at Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick.

This year, the event was held at the IVY Ballroom where 500 guests were in attendance to help children in need. As part of our commitment, LEAP contributed to the cause by donating a LawConnect supermaxi experience to the live auction. LawConnect, LEAP's document management and client collaboration solution, also sponsors one of four supermaxis competing in this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

There was some competitive bidding on the night, with a spirited battle unfolding between two parties eager for an unforgettable experience sailing Sydney Harbour. In support of a good cause, LEAP decided to extend the prize to both bidders. As a result, over $40,000 was raised, with all proceeds going to the SCHF.

On November 24th, we hosted our first session with Roberts Co, followed by the second session on December 13th with Kane Constructions. During both sessions, 15 individuals from each company had the exclusive opportunity to experience a two-hour, money-can’t-buy sailing adventure on one of the world’s fastest yachts, alongside the crew, as they prepared for the big race. 

Following a meet and greet with some of the LawConnect crew, both groups enjoyed an exclusive tour of the yacht, personally led by Boat Captain Ty Oxley. The tour delved below deck, allowing the group to explore the kitchen, crew sleeping quarters and media centre, which was built to manage LawConnect's live stream feed. Ty also provided the group with a firsthand glimpse into the supermaxi's technical capabilities, explaining the crew's navigation process during races. Our lucky winners also seized the chance to ask the crew some burning questions, ranging from sleeping schedules to how the team maintains harmony under stressful racing conditions.

The highlight of the tour was the boat's media centre, which was built to manage LawConnect’s live stream feed. Building on the success of last year's inaugural livestream, LawConnect is set to repeat the experience with upgraded technology for this year's race. As a result, spectators from anywhere in the world can watch the race in real-time via the LawConnect Live page. The team has also equipped the boat with strategically placed GoPros, offering diverse camera views selected by the media centre for the audience's enjoyment.

After the tour, the winners took turns steering the boat and even got all-hands-on-deck, helping pack away sails and assisting the crew with the running of the ship.

LEAP is proud to support worthy causes and leverage our Sydney Hobart sponsorship to make a positive impact.