Amanda Scott: Why I donated time at my holiday home to The Otis Foundation
“If you’re struggling with treatment or have just finished treatment and you want to celebrate, I think an Otis retreat is worth its weight in gold. We felt that if we were in that same position, it would be lovely that someone had the capacity to donate something like this”.
Amanda Scott: Why I donated time at my holiday home to The Otis Foundation
Amanda Scott has worked in the finance industry for over 35 years. The State Manager (SA & NT) for Mortgage Choice, Amanda admits that banking and finance is “her thing”.
As a mother of 5 and grandmother of “nearly 9”, family means everything to Amanda. That’s why when she heard about The Otis Foundation, a breast cancer charity providing no-cost retreat accommodation to individuals and their families, Amanda didn’t hesitate to offer her own holiday home as a property for an Otis retreat. Since then, Amanda has generously donated her property for 5 retreats, with more bookings to come.
We sat down with Amanda to chat about her Otis journey and why she has found donating her property such a rewarding and meaningful experience.
How did you find out about The Otis Foundation?
I found out about The Otis Foundation through ALI Group (The Otis Foundation has been ALI Group’s core charity partner since 2021). I’ve got a huge amount of respect for ALI, their people, and their business and how they really do help peoples’ lives. The alignment with The Otis Foundation and ALI made so much sense to me. I also really respect the relationship we at Mortgage Choice have with ALI in particular Fiona Gray, ALI State Manager (SA, NT & WA), here locally.
What drew you to The Otis Foundation?
The Otis Foundation is all about family. It provides another level of support for families recovering where there’s a member with breast cancer and they just need that special time together as a part of their recovery. If you’re struggling with treatment or have just finished treatment and you want to celebrate, I think an Otis retreat is worth its weight in gold. That meant a lot to me. We felt that if we were in that same position, it would be lovely that someone had the capacity to donate something like this.
What inspired you to take the next step and offer to donate your property to The Otis Foundation?
It kind of hit me at the right time. My partner got diagnosed last year with prostate cancer so I guess it’s a little more front of mind, that you can do something that can have a significant difference. Funnily enough about cancer, soon you know another 10 people who have it. It’s like seeing a car that you really like and suddenly you see it everywhere. I’ve really found that with the diagnosis, all of a sudden, it’s on your radar and you see how prevalent it is. My partner is doing well, which is really good, but it’s been a long journey.
How was the process of organising the donation?
The actual process of setting it up was quite easy. I basically filled out a form with The Otis Foundation, gave them the options of what I was comfortable to do, let them know who the agent is that manages the property that I’ve got, and they pretty much did everything from there. So apart from replenishing supplies, there hasn’t been much extra to do.
The agent that I use rings me to tell me if there’s anything that I need to do, as they would do whether it was an The Otis Foundation recipient or someone else. They keep me up to date. At the resort settlement that I rent out, there’s also a caretaker there and he quite often meets the recipients there, which is nice. Obviously, he thinks it’s a great idea seeing recovering families or families that need an outlet at the property and what it means to them.
I’ve donated the property about five times. I do it in 4-night blocks because I think 4 nights really gives you a bit of a getaway—a weekend’s not long enough. It’s only an hour out of Adelaide so it’s very accessible.
Would you recommend others, if they have the capacity, to donate their property to The Otis Foundation?
We all do donations and raffles and things like that—everyone does whatever they can do. But if someone has an opportunity to be able to donate a property for some R&R and family time together for recovering families, I just think it’s a charitable thing for people to do if they can.
I was really surprised back about 2 months ago, when I came home from work and there was the most magnificent letter for me. It was from a family who stayed at the property. The woman who wrote to me had been through breast cancer. She was 38 years old and her children were 4 and 6.
She sent me a letter saying: “Words cannot express how grateful we are for the opportunity to stay at your home”. She also said “We did nothing. We literally just spent time as a family overlooking the lake, feeding the ducks, walking along the beach”. They were just doing things that were all about connecting as a family and having downtime. I think it was their first family holiday in 3 years. Also, one of the children sent a little thank you card and a little riddle on it.
When I received the letter, I just bawled. I just thought—that’s what it’s all about is—helping someone feel happy. Not everyone can do it—and I’m not in some amazing financial position by the way to do that—but it means something to me. It’s great that you’re able to help someone. And to read that letter made it all the more meaningful to me. You don’t expect that of course, but that letter was just lovely.
Do you, or someone you know, own a property that might be suitable for The Otis Foundation?
By donating your property for a few nights as an Otis retreat, you have a unique and rewarding opportunity to directly help those with breast cancer and their loved ones.
Learn more and donate to The Otis Foundation here: https://www.otisfoundation.org.au/page/39/donate-time-at-a-property-
Member of ALI Group’s Extra Benefits program? Join ALI Group for Otis October.
Learn more here: https://www.aligroup.com.au/news/2022/otis-october-giving-those-who-live-with-breast-cancer-the-gift-of-relief
Amanda Scott, State Manager (SA & NT), Mortgage Choice and The Otis Foundation property donor