Want to help decorate for a difference?

Posted on 29 May, 2018

Back in 2016, we published an editorial on Canberra based charity raize the roof.

An innovative fundraising project, raize the roof aimed to raise funds for the Starlight Children’s Foundation and SOS Children’s Villages in Botswana. The project saw charity founder Danielle Dal Cortivo and co-founder Lincoln Dal Cortivo pair up to build a charity house where all funds raised would be donated to the chosen charities.

Fast forward two years, add a handful of volunteers and a heavy dose of local community effort and voila, the house has been built.

Now, they need to decorate the house to give it personality and life before it is sold and the proceeds donated. So the raize the roof team have created Decorate for a Difference.

Decorate for a Difference is an exciting opportunity for anyone who has a flair for interior design and gives participants the chance to flex their competitive decorating muscles.

“We’re thrilled to be raising money for the Starlight Children’s Foundation and SOS Children’s Villages in Botswana via donations and fundraising which have helped us build a charity house,” says raize the roof’s Danielle Dal Cortivo. “We’re hoping Decorate for a difference will help us reach our $1 million goal.”

Decorate for a Difference will consist of eight individuals or four pairs who will be selected to compete against each other on Saturday 18 August 2018. The teams will decorate four zones of the three-bedroom house in Bonner in preparation for its auction on Saturday 20 October 2018.

Essentially, it’s your chance to live out your The Block dreams on a small scale, for a good cause – and applications are now open for people to join the challenge.

To add more excitement to the mix, raize the roof has teamed up with major supporter IKEA Canberra so that competitors will have access to the vast array of products and services including exclusive after-hours access to the store with support from the IKEA Canberra Interior Design team.

(L-R) Jason Rose (host of Decorate for a difference), Danielle Dal Cortivo (raize the roof, co-founder) and Sean Howell IKEA Canberra Store Manager.

Sean Howell, Store Manager of IKEA Canberra says he’s proud to be a part of such a generous and heartfelt initiative.

“We are really looking forward to working with the raize the roof team, they are doing amazing work in our local community to support those less fortunate,” says Sean. “We’re humbled to be a part of this project, and look forward to putting our home furnishing expertise, co-worker energy and products towards a wonderful initiative.”

A day like this wouldn’t be complete without an entertaining and delightful host and this is where raize the roof welcomes ex-Big Brother contestant and Canberra’s top auctioneer Jason Roses. Jason has been supporting raize the roof for many years and anticipates the competition will enhance thousands to the property’s value.

“I’m so excited to be part of Decorate for a difference,” he says. “A well-styled home is so inviting for potential buyers and can add huge value to the selling price, especially in today’s competitive market.”

The competition will also be broadcast live on social media as a reality show, and the Canberra community will get a chance to vote for their favourite zone.

Judges for the competition will include local personalities and Gina Ciancio, editor of Style Curator. The handpicked judges will crown the winning individual or team as Canberra’s Top Stylist, while the public choose their favourite team, who will then receive a $1500 gift card from IKEA.

Voting is easy – every dollar donated is a vote towards your favourite zone. One lucky voter will also win an exclusive in-home consultation with IKEA Canberra along with a $500 IKEA gift card.

If, as a viewer, you find yourself liking something you see, you can bid for the furniture and items from each room, with all proceeds going to the project. Proceeds from the auction will be divided evenly and given to the two charities.

the essentials

What: Decorate for a Difference for raize the roof
When: Applications open until 15 June | Competition 18 August | Auction 20 October
Where: Bonner, ACT
Website: decorateforadifference.com
Instagram: @raizetheroof