Australian HDR Employees Make Impact with Six Community Grants
Six community grants funded by the HDR Australia Fund will make a difference in the communities of HDR’s Australian employees. Funded by employee donations on the company’s annual Day of Giving, the collective grants total AU$18,000.
The awards include three grants to local food banks across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. For the first time, three additional employee-sponsored grants support causes of personal significance to employees in Australia.
The first employee-sponsored grant contributes to the Head and Neck Cancer Clinics at the HDR-designed Chris O’Brien Lifehouse Hospital, which opened in 2013 and won five World Architecture Festival Awards.
“My personal goal for this grant is to keep the Lifehouse Australia Trust running so they can continue to provide invaluable support for the community and cancer patients in New South Wales — in the same way that I was supported during my cancer treatment,” said Marica Pozega, an HDR senior architectural technician and grant sponsor. “My hope is that future research work will help patients in New South Wales (and hopefully around the world) with their recovery and treatment.”
Shayne Blazley, HDR director of building engineering services in Australia, sponsored a grant to RUN DIPG, a charity dedicated to improving outcomes for patients, families and communities impacted by diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a fatal form of childhood cancer.
“My grant is dedicated to the daughter of an old school friend who was diagnosed with childhood DPIG in November 2020 when she was 6 years old,” Blazley said.
A third grant was sponsored by HDR graduate structural engineer Katherine Riano, who is an active member of Kitty Rescue Squad and hopes to reduce the overpopulation of stray cats in Melbourne.
“This organization was created by a Latin American woman, and I’m proud to see my Latin American community supporting causes that help to create a better world,” Riano said.
Similar to the U.S.-based HDR Foundation, the HDR Australia Fund awards grants to charities that support education, healthy communities and the environment, mirroring the professional expertise of HDR employees.
“It has been inspiring to witness the generosity and enthusiasm demonstrated by the Australian team,” said Cate Cowlishaw, HDR regional managing principal. “By giving back to the communities we serve, we hope to contribute to making our society a more equitable and inclusive place.”
Read more about the latest grants.
About the HDR Foundation
The HDR Foundation provides grants to qualified organizations that align with HDR’s areas of expertise: education, healthy communities and environmental stewardship. As an employee-funded and employee-driven foundation, preference is given to organizations located in communities in which HDR employees live and work, and those with strong employee involvement. Since its inception, the HDR Foundation has provided more than $6 million in grants to over 250 organizations. In 2021, HDR employees in Australia welcomed the establishment of the HDR Australia Fund, opening up philanthropic support to charities across Australia.
About HDR
For over a century, HDR has partnered with clients to shape communities and push the boundaries of what’s possible. Our expertise spans more than 11,000 employees in more than 200 locations around the world — and counting. Our engineering, architecture, environmental and construction services bring an impressive breadth of knowledge to every project. Our optimistic approach to finding innovative solutions defined our past and drives our future.
