Celebrating 21 years for Clayton Utz & Ardoch

Reflecting on the trials of  2020, Ardoch is incredibly pleased and proud to report on an achievement that celebrates a successful collaboration. Way back in 1999, in what would prove to be a pivotal moment, Ardoch became a Community Partner of leading Australian law firm, Clayton Utz.

For 21 years, Ardoch has been a beneficiary of the Clayton Utz Community Connect program, which provides financial, in-kind and volunteering support to organisations such as ours. The partnership has offered an invaluable enhancement to our mission to realise the potential of children through education.

Our Literacy Buddies® program – through which Clayton Utz employees exchange letters with primary school students facing disadvantage – is the cornerstone of our relationship. Over the past five years alone, over 550 Clayton Utz employees have directly supported Literacy Buddies® – providing over 6,600 volunteer hours (valued at over $237,000) and vital  adult role modelling to the students with whom they write. Clayton Utz’s commitment to our partnership goes above and beyond, with new graduates introduced to the program during their induction, and on-boarded to Ardoch in their early months at the firm.

In-kind and fundraising support has included providing pro-bono legal services, a complimentary venue for Ardoch’s 30th Anniversary Giving event, and enthusiastic support of Ardoch’s Great Race, with multiple teams participating in this key fundraising event annually since 2017 and additional employees volunteering to sit on the event organising committee. On top of this, the Clayton Utz Foundation’s dollar matching commitment to funds raised by employees has led to Clayton Utz donating over $15,000 to Ardoch over the past three years.

‘The success of our relationship with Ardoch is that it is mutually beneficial. Our people get so much out of their interactions with the Literacy Buddies® students and supporting Ardoch. It is a highlight for many of our volunteers, and a reason why they continue in the program year after year.’                                           

 – Anna Pavincich, National Manager – Community & Sustainability

This partnership helps Ardoch to raise awareness and increase our capacity — a highly valued model business community partnership. Thank you Clayton Utz for a journey worth celebrating!