Champion of charitable work
We took five with Godfrey Frederick – Director, National Strategic Partnerships with Building Services Engineers.
Since his first PIF Charity Regatta in 2011, Godfrey has been championing the charitable work that Property Industry Foundation does; and we are grateful to him and many others like him to help spread the word and garner support.
Godfrey can often be seen at one of PIF’s many fundraising events – either volunteering or attending and networking.
Every year, he hosts a Calcutta auction for the Melbourne Cup and donates on a portion of the proceeds to the PIF House Program.
Building Services Engineers has been a corporate donor of PIF since 2015 and when we asked him – ‘why us?’ – his answer was swift:
“For those of us lucky enough to be working in the property and construction industry, I feel that PIF really represents our industry, and provides an easy and tangible way to make a difference.
Godfrey went on to say, “I have always been aware that youth homelessness is a major concern in Australia. PIF personalises the many stories of young people who, for a variety of reasons have been unlucky in life and have found themselves on the street. The impact that PIF delivers is immense. Providing transitional housing can provide such a difference to breaking the cycle of homelessness.”
“There are so many ways that businesses and individuals can support the charity and make a difference. Not only giving through the many programs and social events but also by volunteering. PIF is well known for its opportunities for engagement for our industry. And their commitment to building homes as a practical approach to changing lives is the real core of the Foundation.“
We always like to wrap up our chats with our champions by asking them, ‘what’s one thing not many people know about you?’ Godfrey surprised us with his answer:
“Fan Go Fung is my Chinese given name which means ‘Top of the mountain’. I lived in Hong Kong for seven years! Also, my first name is actually Michael. Family tradition is that we use our middle names.”
So, next time you see Godfrey at one of our events, be sure to say g’day or ni hao!
We’d like to thank Godfrey for his time and of course his on-going support and that of BSE’s. For more information about BSE, visit www.bse.com.au
