On Thursday 9th August Regional Australia Bank will be treating Armidale’s community groups to the feel-good event of the year.

An event that celebrates people helping people via the Banks Community Partnership Program.

Attending the event will be Sebastian Terry, the founder of 100things.com.au and equal parts daredevil, adventurer, entrepreneur and philanthropist.

In no particular order, Sebastian has delivered a baby in Canada, run with the bulls, married a stranger in Vegas, been shot, got a Guinness World Record, and saved a life. Oh, and he’s single-handedly raised $250,000 for charity.

"I love the work that Regional Australia Bank are doing. There is a real sense of community and they are reaching out and making a difference to people who really need a hand."

In 2011 Seb helped Mark Rostoks, a quadriplegic through suffering Lyme’s disease, to complete a half-marathon.

The satisfaction he derived from this was like nothing he’d felt before. And from that point on, he decided to focus all his energies on giving assistance to those who need it, not just in Australia, but all around the world.

To date, he has performed all sorts of random acts of kindness including helping kids who can’t afford to get to school, making the last wishes come true for a number of terminally ill people, finding prom suits for high school students and even finding a kidney donor for a girl who needs a lifesaving operation.

His latest venture, Kindsum, focuses on activating the philanthropic side of people by sharing the stories of those who need genuine help with a growing community of people who are willing to lend a hand.

And that’s why he was so keen to attend this event.

“I love the work that Regional Australia Bank are doing” says Sebastian. “There is a real sense of community and they are reaching out and making a difference to people who really need a hand.”

Which brings us to the residents of Armidale.

Next Thursday, Regional Australia Bank will be giving back thousands of dollars to the Armidale community as part of its Community Partnership Program. Because, just like Seb, the Bank believes that helping people is the best reward.

As Regional Australia Bank, Senior Manager Kim Burraston explains. “We’re also immensely proud to support the local groups who are doing something amazing and pitch in to help their community.

“We realise that whatever you’re doing, you’re doing it because you have a strong desire to give something back to the community. And that’s what this event is all about.”

“And whilst we have not chased a tornado or skydived naked like Seb, (well not yet anyway,) we certainly share his philosophy that the greatest reward comes from helping others.”

For the last ten years, Regional Australia Bank has been running the Community Partnership Program. A program designed to give practical financial assistance back to the people that have supported the bank for so long.

More than 100 organisations participate in the Community Partnership Program, and every one of them will be walking away with a donation to help their cause on Thursday evening.

The MC for the evening, Regional Australia Bank’s Darren Schaefer, will be announcing just how much money has been raised for Armidale and announcing a new partnership with Sebastian Terry that seeks to reward individuals from the Bank’s Community Partnership Program organisations.

 This article also appeared in the Armidale Express on 8/8/2018 here.