Author: Resen Digital
Impact Partner Example
Catering Enquiry Form
Corporate Catering
Optimus Autopact
Cricks
Caloundra Mazda
Compass Charity Golf Day
Dan Hunt was introduced to Compass CEO David Dangerfield through a mutual connection associated with the Compass Charity Golf Day. After learning about David’s vision for young people with disability, Dan’s dealership sponsored a hole at the event.
It was a relatively small beginning, but Dan immediately recognised that Compass was doing something different.
He saw a team and an organisation that was genuinely keen to develop and maintain mutual benefit partnerships across their community…. partnerships that genuinely added value to the various businesses.
And he saw an organisation truly focused on creating meaningful opportunities for young people with disability to learn, work, contribute and be recognised for their individual abilities.
The following year, David invited Dan, Matt and their team to become the major sponsor of the golf day. They agreed without hesitation and a genuine partnership began.
Turning conversations into opportunities
As Dan and David came to know each other, their conversations moved beyond sponsorship.
David shared his plans to create more real-world training environments where Compass trainees could develop practical skills, build confidence and connect with the wider community.
During one of those conversations, David mentioned his ambition to establish a café in Nambour. Dan took the idea to Garry Crick and they realised that a former service station site beside the dealership could provide the location.
That conversation led to the opening of Compass Connections Café in 2016.
Rather than learning hospitality skills in an artificial training environment, Compass trainees were able to work in a real café, serve customers and become part of the everyday life of the neighbouring business.
The dealership team removed the coffee machine from its showroom, gave staff coffee vouchers and encouraged them to buy their coffee from the Compass café. Customers met the trainees, staff formed genuine relationships with them and inclusion became something people experienced naturally.
The café went on to provide meaningful vocational opportunities for more than 50 young people with disability.
A partnership built on mutual respect
What made the relationship work was that it never became a one-way arrangement.
Dan and his team wanted to help Compass succeed, but David was equally interested in understanding the dealership and finding ways Compass could contribute to its business.
Over the years, that collaborative approach created new opportunities, from trainee work placements and accessible transport to Compass-made hampers presented to vehicle buyers. A second Compass Café was later established inside the Caloundra dealership, creating another real-world environment where trainees could gain hospitality experience and connect with customers.
For Dan, the impact extended beyond any single project. Getting to know the trainees brought the partnership to life for dealership staff and gave the business an even stronger connection to its community.
For David, Dan became more than a corporate supporter. He became a trusted partner who understood the vision and was prepared to help turn ideas into action.
Regular conversations became new initiatives, professional respect became friendship, and a sponsorship became a relationship that continued to grow.
The next chapter: Caloundra Mazda and What If
Today, Dan is Dealer Principal of Caloundra Mazda, and the partnership continues through Compass’s What If campaign. What If is built on the belief that inclusion should not be treated as a special initiative. It can be part of everyday community life, visible in our workplaces, businesses and the choices we make as customers.
Caloundra Mazda is helping put that belief into practice.
By standing alongside Compass, the dealership is helping create greater awareness, stronger community connections and meaningful opportunities for people with disability to participate and contribute. It is the latest chapter in a story that began with one conversation, grew through trust and continues because two local leaders share a belief in what business can achieve when community is placed at its heart.
Together, we are community
When you choose to support a business that supports inclusion,
your decision can travel much further than you realise.
When you make it Mazda, make it Caloundra Mazda.
Whites IGA
Walk into a White’s IGA and you will see more than shelves and checkouts.
You will see neighbours stopping for a chat, team members greeting regulars by name, and people of varied ages and abilities working side by side. For Roz White, that is what “a place for everyone” looks like. It means people are not only welcomed at the door. They are acknowledged, valued, respected and included, whether they are customers, team members, suppliers or community members of every age and ability. For more than three decades, White’s IGA has employed people from all walks of life, and its teams reflect their communities.
Roz says her commitment to inclusion grew through early partnerships with organisations including The Compass Institute, along with volunteer work for a Queensland charity supporting people with disability. One team member captures that belief. He joined White’s IGA at 15 and is now in his late 20s.
Roz has watched him grow from a shy young person into a confident man who takes pride in his presentation, greets people with a broad smile and works alongside his colleagues as a valued team member.
“That is what belonging looks like,” she says. White’s IGA chose to partner with Compass because both organisations believe in creating practical opportunities for people with disability to learn, grow and participate more fully in community life, not by doing things for people, but by providing the support, experience and space for people to discover what they are capable of, contribute in ways that matter to them and build confidence that carries into everyday life.
“A place for everyone is a place where people are genuinely welcomed, valued for who they are, and respected for their differences and individuality.”
Roz believes local businesses can make inclusion visible in everyday places, creating practical, local opportunities connected to real life while challenging assumptions, building understanding, strengthening team pride and showing the wider community that everyone has something valuable to contribute. Her hope is that Compass Trainees gain confidence, skills, purpose and pride, while other Sunshine Coast businesses feel encouraged to create opportunities of their own.
What if…
you could be the difference?
Runaway Noosa Marathon 2027
Run for something bigger than the finish line.
Run the Noosa Runaway Marathon
Every kilometre can help create opportunities.
The 2027 Noosa Runaway Marathon is more than a running event. It’s an opportunity to challenge yourself while helping create opportunities for people with a disability across our community.
Compass is proud to be an official charity partner for the 2027 Noosa Runaway Marathon, and we’d love you to join Team Compass by choosing us as your charity when you register.
Whether you’re tackling the marathon, half marathon, 10km or 5km, your fundraising can have a lasting impact.
Why run for Compass?
Every day at Compass, people with a disability are discovering new skills, building confidence, making friendships and contributing to their communities in meaningful ways.
From welcoming customers in our cafés and creating handcrafted products, to learning practical skills on our farm, preparing for employment and exploring their communities, every opportunity helps build greater independence and confidence.
Your fundraising helps us continue creating the places, resources and opportunities that make this possible.
Your run can make a real difference
When you ask family, friends and colleagues to support your run, you’re inviting them to be part of something bigger than race day.
The funds you raise help Compass continue providing the environments where people can:
- Build confidence through real-world experiences.
- Learn practical and workplace skills.
- Develop friendships and social connections.
- Explore their interests and discover new strengths.
- Participate in their community with confidence.
- Create pathways towards greater independence and employment.
Every donation helps create more opportunities for people to learn, grow and contribute.
Fundraising is easier than you think
Once you’ve registered for the Noosa Runaway Marathon and selected Compass as your charity, you’ll receive your own online fundraising page.
Then simply:
- Share your story
Tell people why you’ve decided to run for Compass. - Invite your community
Ask friends, family and workmates to support your challenge. - Train with purpose
Every training run becomes another reminder that you’re helping create opportunities for others.
We’ll also provide fundraising ideas, social media graphics and resources to help you reach your goal.
Why people choose Team Compass
People don’t join Team Compass because they have to.
They join because they believe everyone deserves the opportunity to discover their strengths, contribute to their community and feel a genuine sense of belonging.
When you run for Compass, you’re not just completing a personal challenge.
You’re helping create a community where opportunity is available to more people.
What if…
you could be the difference?
A day shaped around her interests
A day shaped around her interests
See how equine therapy and community experiences are helping a Compass trainee build confidence, communication skills and greater independence.
Each support session begins with something she loves – equine therapy.
Spending time with the horses has become much more than a favourite activity. It gives her the opportunity to practise patience, emotional regulation and confidence. Horses respond to calm, consistent body language, encouraging her to slow down, stay present and communicate clearly. Those skills are now becoming part of everyday life beyond the paddock.
From there, every day is a little different.
Depending on her interests and goals, she might explore Sea Life, enjoy a bushwalk, spend time at the beach, meet a friend for a hot chocolate or settle in with puzzles, colouring or craft. Having genuine choice throughout the day encourages her to make decisions, try new experiences and discover places that reflect what she enjoys.
Community outings also provide natural opportunities to build everyday skills. Whether she’s ordering a drink, buying tickets, asking questions or starting conversations, she’s encouraged to communicate independently while knowing support is close by if she needs it. Her support workers give her time to respond, encourage longer conversations and step in only when necessary.
Trying somewhere new can still feel overwhelming at times, but beginning each session with the familiar routine of equine therapy gives her confidence to take on what comes next. With that trusted starting point, she’s become more willing to explore new walking tracks, wildlife attractions and community activities that match her interests.
Every outing is enjoyable, but the real progress is found in the everyday moments.
She’s becoming more confident making decisions, communicating with others and participating in her community. Each experience is helping her build practical skills that support greater independence, while allowing her to spend time doing the things she genuinely enjoys.