Accountancy firm Grant Thornton partners with Rosies

Grant Thornton staff member joins us on outreach

The impact that Rosies has, not just on individuals but as a community, is one of the things Josh Rowland from charity partner, Grant Thornton Foundation said was invaluable. Josh experienced exactly what that community was like after attending an outreach recently.  

“The patrons genuinely seemed to be enjoying themselves and it was good to see that.  You can see that connections are being built and the community Rosies has created is just not patron to volunteer, but patron to patron,” he said. “The connections they (the patrons) make with each other is really the true beauty of it all.” 

The Grant Thornton Foundation was launched by Grant Thornton Australia to build a coordinated approach to charitable giving across Australia. It began its partnership with Rosies in July this year when its undergraduate and graduate cohort started to attend outreach as guests as part of their new starters onboarding process.  

Since that time, they have offered practical support via donations and in-kind support.  

“We looked for a charity that aligned with our social responsibility values and also had volunteering opportunities,” continued Josh Rowland.  

“The Foundation’s key focus is on young people at risk of homelessness and mental health issues. Although Rosies is for all ages, it has a particular focus on homelessness and social isolation, which aligns with our focus. Through word of mouth, by colleagues who had volunteered in the past and external connections, we heard that Rosies does terrific and meaningful work, as well as offering opportunities for volunteering.   

“Rosies was therefore the obvious choice for us to support, particularly as one of their key outreach locations was a part of our geographical community in Brisbane.” 

Hannah Delbridge from The Grant Thornton Foundation also volunteered recently on outreach along with Josh Rowland and was able to see firsthand the support in action. She hadn’t done any volunteering like Rosies before and enjoyed being part of the community they’d built.  

She said the experience taught her how important it was for patrons to have a space where they could enjoy things they liked, and to their own tastes. She said volunteering at outreach was a “fun way to help and serve people” and was “nice to be in touch with people face-to-face”. 

“They can order their coffee how they want and not just have to accept what is given,” said Hannah Delbridge. “It was great to give people the power to choose and meet their expectations.”