"The Greater Good Charities are so excited to be partnering with the Australian Firefighters Calendar, we have been a huge supporter of their work through our social media channels for years now," Lesley Cave, the Director of Partnerships at Greater Good Charities, told Bored Panda in a statement. "This will be the start of a long-lasting partnership on charity projects across the US."
For the first time in its 29-year history, the calendar will be printed outside Australia for the US market. The calendars will be printed in Dallas, Texas, and distributed for US, Canadian, South American, and Asian supporters.
"The US has been such a huge supporter of the Australian Firefighters Calendar over many years now. We are so happy to be in a position to begin donating to US-based charities now and into the future. To be partnering with an organization as well respected as Greater Good Charities is the opportunity we have been waiting for. It was really important to us that the product was printed in the US by an American company, employing American workers. For the Australian Firefighters, it's really exciting to be involved," David Rogers, the Director at the Australian Firefighters Calendar, added.
The idea to take the iconic calendar to the US is the direct result of goodwill between the two countries. "[Australians will never forget] the overwhelming support from the American people ... when we suffered through the worst bushfires in recent memory," the folks behind the project said. "The money that was raised by our US fans went to support native Australian animals that were severely injured. One of the incredible local-based charities supported by the calendar donation was the Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital."
From humble beginnings 2 years ago, a handful of passionate veterinary surgeons and nurses came together to establish the hospital, and through the determination of the local community in Byron Bay, they were able to raise enough money to build Australia's first mobile wildlife hospital!
"The support the Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital received from the US was phenomenal and it continues to this day. The funds have enabled us to start building another mobile hospital to support our wildlife in the event of further wildfires," Stephen Van Mil, the CEO at The Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital, said.
The amazing thing is that the Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital is just one of the many native animal welfare establishments that the calendar will support again this year.
To order your copy and contribute to the cause, go to AustralianFirefightersCalendar.com!
