20 Strangers, 20 Days, 20 Hello's a Day
Tahnee is stepping out of her comfort zone as she aims to meet 20 strangers a day for 20 days, during her My Vision 20:20 challenge.
Seven days into her challenge and having already raised over $1,100 for Vision Australia, we checked in with Tahnee to see how she is going…
Where did you get your Vision 20:20 challenge idea from?
I recently moved interstate and I didn’t know anyone. It’s difficult to strike up a conversation with a stranger but a simple ‘hello’ can make such a difference to someone’s day. I wanted to give people the opportunity to be heard and make them smile – while raising awareness and funds for Vision Australia at the same time.
How are you going with meeting 20 strangers each day?
At first I was pretty nervous and on day one it took me an hour to complete talking to 20 strangers. I received some support from Vision Australia and I’m improving every day in saying ‘hello’ and delivering a clear message.
Has your challenge been easier or harder than you expected?
The challenge has actually boosted my confidence and I have loved talking to others. I have had some open and raw conversations with people about their vision or their families with vision loss.
What is your involvement with Vision Australia?
I became a Digital Mentor for Vision Australia back in May, when I moved interstate. My role is to support those who are blind or have low vision to use the device of their choice and to navigate what it is they want to do online.
I started a degree in Health Science last year with the aim to transition to Occupational Therapy. I would love to train to become an Orientation and Mobility specialist with Vision Australia one day.
Is this your first time running a fundraiser and would you do something like this again?
Yes, this is my first fundraiser. After reading about the challenge in the Vision Australia volunteer newsletter I thought to myself, ‘yes, I can do this’. I have always wanted the opportunity to make a difference and it feels great. I would love to do this again in the future.
Do you have any tips for others who may want to run their own fundraiser?
Make sure you have a good set of tools to help you. Promote yourself on social media and create short videos to spread awareness and attract donations. I also created my own QR code to hand out, which links to my fundraising page, and I made a flag to attract attention.
The My Vision 20:20 challenge is all about fundraising for Australians living with blindness or low vision this World Sight Day (October 8).
Click here to help Tahnee hit her $10k target or Click here to learn more and start your own fundraiser.