Every month, Myles Leabeater donates $20 to Ruff Sleepers – a pet washing service for the homeless established by UTS staff and students. That makes Myles part of a special community of UTS alumni who have chosen to give back.
Since graduating with a Bachelor of Construction Management in 2013, Myles has been working hard to build his career. “I’ve pretty much been working non-stop since I finished uni,” says Myles.
His hard work has paid off. For the last seven years, Myles has been working in the industry. Now, he’s happily employed as a Project Engineer at Lendlease and enjoys mountain biking, snowboarding and travel in his spare time.
“I’d been looking to give back in some way, but hadn’t yet come across something that had connected with me,” says Myles.
One day, he received a letter from UTS about causes he could support, and one in particular caught his eye: Ruff Sleepers, a social enterprise set up by UTS staff and students to help homeless people and their pets.
I’d been looking to give back in some way, but hadn’t yet come across something that had connected with me.
“Animals, particularly dogs, play such an important part in our lives,” says Myles, who grew up with a much-loved pet dog. “It always breaks my heart when I see people with nothing to their name holding on to their dogs.”
Ruff Sleepers was the cause Myles had been looking for. He put down the letter, jumped online, and became an alumni donor. “It was really easy. I filled out a form and it only took a few minutes,” says Myles.
Myles' childhood pet, Dougal
Why Myles chose to give back
Myles is thankful for his experience at UTS, and believes he wouldn’t be where is he today without it. “I’m grateful to have had a great education and move on to a fulfilling career, but not everyone is so lucky,” he says.
Even so, it took him some time to come around to the idea of giving back. “I didn’t donate to the uni for years after graduating, even though I could have,” says Myles. “I always thought: is my uni really the best place to give to after the time and money I've already spent there?”
But as he read more about UTS causes, he realised something important: you’re donating to the cause you care about, and the university facilitates this.
I’m grateful to have had a great education and move on to a fulfilling career, but not everyone is so lucky.
“I learned that every cent of every donation goes directly to the cause,” says Myles. “It’s going to fund research, scholarships or, in my case, help people on the streets with their pets. Universities are really good avenues for providing this sort of support.”
And you don’t have to give much to make a big difference. Whether you want to support a social enterprise like Ruff Sleepers, empower disadvantaged students through scholarships or help advance cutting-edge research, you can make an impact on the lives of others.
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a lot, you can do so much good just by giving what you can,” says Myles. “It feels great to help people. It makes me really happy to give to an initiative like Ruff Sleepers, because I know I’m helping provide people and pets in need with really tangible benefits – opportunities for engagement and support for the homeless are so important”
