Live Your Dream - Teeing off for mental health

Through Komatsu’s Live Your Dream (LYD) program, Alana Romano a Field Service Technician from our Cairns branch has made a lasting impact by supporting Kick On, a charity dedicated to promoting positive mental health.

Live your Dream is an initiative by which gives employees the opportunity to support causes they are passionate about with a $10,000 grant to support a charity or organisation of their choice.

Kick On is a local Cairns charity that runs educational programs, events and campaigns aimed at empowering individuals and fostering mental well-being. Alana has seen firsthand the mental health challenges that can arise in a school environment through her FIFO work, and saw an opportunity to contribute meaningfully with the help of a LYD grant.

“I make time every year to support a charity and I saw potential to do something different with a LYD grant. Supporting mental health and what Kick On stands for was an amazing experience,” Alana says.

Her initiative focused on a charity golf day, which not only raised crucial funds for Kick On but also brought the community together to support mental health initiatives. Working alongside Survivor Golf, Alana played a key role in securing sponsors and organising the event.

In addition to the golf day, she helped coordinate school talks and mural projects, which provided local students with visual reminders of the importance of mental wellbeing.

“When Kick On suggested a golf day, I jumped straight on board, as it’s a great way to bring people together in a low-risk environment but still have meaningful conversations, and raise important funds for the charity,” she says.

“Once that was organised, we also wanted to see how we could get in front of students and shine a light on mental health challenges in a school environment. We set up some school talks and painted murals to help promote positive physical and mental health among students.”

The impact of her efforts has been significant, with four school murals created to promote positive mental health. The golf day itself was also a success, featuring prizes and even a mini Komatsu excavator transported from Brisbane for a fun “chip in the bucket” challenge.

“The feedback from Kick On has all been positive - they couldn’t have asked for more and would love our continued support in the future,” she says.