The NSW Kids in Need (KIN) Association is a local charity that has been supporting children with disabilities and serious illness in Northern NSW and the Gold Coast since 1982.
KIN is run by a small group of volunteers who raise funds through sponsorship and fundraising events, such as the 2018 charity event at Kirribilli House where Mates Rates Mortgage Brokers’ CEO, Trent Lee, invited Peggy Grande to accompany him as his guest.
“Peggy was 10 years Executive Assistant to President Reagan post presidency,” explains Trent, “and was in Australia promoting her book ‘The President will see you now’ as well as other speaking engagements.”
“On arrival at the Kirribilli House charity event, Peggy very kindly gifted me these stunning Cufflinks that her former boss Ronald Reagan also used to present as gifts.
“During the night, I was telling this story to one of the event organisers and he stated ‘I wish we had a pair of those to auction’, to which I responded, ‘You do now – take mine’!”
“The MC for the evening was Alan Jones and he auctioned the Ronald Reagan cufflinks for $1,100.”
Alan Jones was very interested and asked Trent if he could invite her onto his morning 2GB radio show and later that night on his regular Sky TV spot with Peta Credlin. You listen to the 2CB interview here or watch the Sky News interview here.
Since 2017, Beat the Breakdown has been working to raise much needed funds to eradicate suicide as a major health issue. Their inaugural Spring Ball has enabled a total of $238,000 to be raised over 3 years for mental health awareness and suicide prevention.
Accompanied by his gorgeous daughter, Mates Rates Mortgage Brokers’ Trent Lee was delighted to be the principal partner for the Beat the Breakdown 2018 Spring Ball and here’s what Jason McIlwaine, one of the committee members had to say.
“We are grateful to have had the pleasure of partnering up with Mates Rates Mortgage Brokers as the principal partner for our 2018 Spring Ball. After speaking with Trent and hearing the dedication he has towards his clients via his cash back business model, it was clear that we had found the right partner.”
“Not only did Trent show true interest in our charity but his $12,000 donation as Principal Partner allowed us to take the event to new levels in which we ended up raising over $85,000. His presence on the night and speech captured the audience and their brand was the perfect fit for such a positive and uplifting event.
“Without Trent and his team, charity events such as the Beat the Breakdown Spring Ball are not possible – it is a true testament to Trent and his team that they would go out of their way to support us and bring the topics of mental health/suicide to the surface to educate and let those affected know it’s not weak to speak.”
Mates Rates Mortgage Brokers were thrilled to have made a positive impact on the amount of money raised for such an important charity cause.
During the 2020 and 2021 lockdowns, many small businesses lost most of, or all of their income, due to COVID-19.
Adopt-a-Shop helps small hospitality and retail businesses struggling during enforced
Covid-19 lockdowns by connecting them with people or businesses who are in a position to provide emergency lockdown financial support that helps the struggling business get through the lockdown.
Mates Rates Mortgage Brokers was in the fortunate position of being able to help a number of businesses in the covid lockdown by paying rent and operating expenses during the 10 week NSW lockdown to ensure that they would be able to open their doors and remain trading.
The Mates Rates Mortgage Brokers office is located in Gosford, so Trent and his team have a very personal connection with the Central Coast community.
“Having my office in Gosford, I really felt for the other local businesses who were struggling during the lockdown, so we decided to lend a hand to Central Coast Shuttles,” says Trent.
Central Coast Shuttles owner, Murray, couldn’t be more grateful.
“Companies like yours show the true Aussie spirit when we are hit with major obstacles that are out of our control.
“With your support CCS Central Coast Shuttles is able to not worry and keep supporting our clients in these tough times”
During the Covid lockdowns, we also sponsored Picturesque Hair, a creative boutique salon located in the Northern Beaches area where Trent lives.
“Thank you Mates Rates Mortgage Brokers and Adopt a Shop for helping my hair salon through this tough time,” said Picturesque Hair owner, Magon.
“It’s taken a lot of pressure and stress off me and I couldn’t thank you guys enough.”
We’re so thrilled we were able to relieve some of your pressure and stress, Mago
Another local business we were privileged to support during lockdown was the Roze and Thorn Fashion boutique in Mona Vale.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the generous and kind-hearted support for my business during this difficult time,” said owner, Hendi, from Roze and Thorn.
“I’m truly so grateful and quite mind blown at the gesture and what a wonderful thing you are both doing helping myself and others re-open our doors next week.”
You’re welcome, Hendi! We love giving a helping hand where we can!
The initial online connection between Trent Lee and Annie Lennox – NOT the Annie Lennox of Eurythmics fame – was actually quite random.
After seeing a comment Trent had made in a Facebook group that really resonated with her, Annie responded to the Facebook post, saying “Trent knows his stuff, give him a try!”
Annie couldn’t believe it when Trent then took the time to reach out to her and thank her for commenting, even though Annie was not a client of Mates Rates Mortgage Brokers, nor did she know Trent.
After messaging back and forth for a while about the importance of teaching kids financial literacy, Annie revealed to Trent that she was stuck in bed with a herniated disc in her back and waiting for surgery.
“I explained to Trent that because I didn’t have private health insurance at the time, I had to wait for public surgery,” explains Annie.
“My back pain had made it impossible to continue with my business, Those Who Wander Geelong, a Boho Picnic hire company I created for events such as weddings, bridal showers, baby showers and birthday parties.
“I didn’t tell Trent that my best friend and daughter had created a GoFundMe page and an online auction to raise the money I needed for my surgery, however Trent went searching and found it himself.
“I was totally blown away to discover that Trent had donated $500 to my GoFundMe page! Trent was the biggest contributor and we ended up raising $12,500, which allowed me to proceed with my surgery.
“Without Trent’s support I probably still wouldn’t have had this surgery as I just managed to get it done in July 2022, three days before all elective surgery was cancelled.
“Trent’s donation has made such a positive impact on my life. His donation has not only given me my health back – it’s allowed me to continue building my business.
“It’s not so much about the money – it’s about the kindness of strangers.
“Trent not only had the means to help, he took the time to reach out to me and make a real difference to my quality of life and for that I will always be incredibly grateful.
“Thank you Trent!”
https://www.facebook.com/thosewhowandergeelong/
In addition to our charity and fundraising work, at Mates Rates Mortgage Brokers we also help current and former Australian Defence Force (ADF) members and their families to pay off their Defence Home Ownership Assistance Scheme (DHOAS) loans faster with cash back from Mates Rates Mortgage Brokers and offering additional specials through APOD ‘Australian Partners of Defence’ a Department of Veterans Affairs supported ‘organisation founded by veteran families, for veteran families.’
And of course, we also help everyday Aussies just like you too, because our core philosophy of Mates Rates Mortgage Brokers is built on the philosophy of mates helping other mates!
Because you, the borrower, are our mate too, we believe that you should be the one collecting the trailing commission we receive from the lender credited back on to your loan, where it works best to help you to pay off your home faster.
While other brokers keep the trailing commission and make money off of it (and you) for the life of your loan, we simply pay it straight back on to your loan.
To date, more than $9 million of our commissions have been credited to our mates, helping them to pay off their home loans sooner.
Find out how much you could save with our cash back calculator or just give us a shout – we love lending a helping hand to our mates.
