Trying to meet someone in Canberra can feel like a choice between endless dating app swipes and awkward small talk at a Civic bar. 

And that’s exactly why Vanessa Schimizzi launched Curated. It started as a simple way to get local singles off their screens and into the same room. But then, a funny thing happened. People kept showing up, not just to find a date, but to find their people. 

Now, Curated has grown into a broader community built around real-life connection, and this DonateLife Week, it is using that energy to help start an important conversation. 

The Reality Check 

Let’s talk stats for a second, and not the dry public service kind.  

Right now, over 2,000 Australians are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, but here in the ACT, our donor registration sits at just 27%, well below the national average.  

Most of us support the idea in theory, but we just haven’t gotten around to clicking the button. And the thing is, registering takes about one minute. One minute and one decision that could one day change someone’s life. 

To get Canberrans talking, connecting, and registering, Curated has put together two local events that prove how easy doing good can be. 

Early Risers and Lake Laps 

If you don’t mind an early alarm, clear your calendar for Friday 31 July. Curated is teaming up with fitness crew DK. Society for a sunrise walk around Lake Burley Griffin. 

The plan is simple: meet at Curio Press at 5.30am, then head off around the lake. You can run, walk or take it at your own pace, and afterwards, everyone will head back to Curio Press for hot coffee, a community BBQ raising funds for BreastScreen ACT and a chat with John Lafferty. 

John received a double heart and kidney transplant in early 2024, going from gruelling dialysis sessions to training for the Transplant Australia Games in Launceston this October, where he’ll take on a 30km road cycling race. Hearing him talk about getting his life back is exactly the kind of perspective we could all use. 

Guests are encouraged to wear a touch of magenta pink in support of DonateLife Week, so consider it your excuse to make your early-morning activewear a little brighter. 

A Very Different Kind of Gala 

If early mornings aren’t your thing, Saturday 1 August is the date to remember.  

Hotel Realm will host Curated’s Gala Night for a Cause in the National Ballroom, bringing the community together for an evening of connection, purpose and a very good reason to dress up. 

The night includes a three-course dinner, drinks, live entertainment, auctions and meaningful conversations, with ABC Radio Canberra’s James Findlay hosting and GJ DJ, Georgie Jones, keeping the night moving. 

In true Curated style, there are also Curated Tables for guests attending solo or wanting to meet new people throughout the night. There are also ‘Small Business Tables’ designed for local creatives, florists, and cafe owners to connect.  

You’ll also hear from keynote speakers whose lives have been changed by organ and tissue donation, such as local champion Gabbie Links. Diagnosed with Lupus at 14 and facing kidney failure in 2022, Gabbie spent years hooked up to dialysis machines before receiving a life-saving kidney transplant from her mum. NBL Hall of Famer and basketball pioneer Cal Bruton will also be there raising funds for at-risk youth through the Bruton Basketball Foundation.  

It is set to be a beautiful and genuinely meaningful night, built around the simple idea that connection can do more than fill a room. 

EVENT INFORMATION: 

Location: Curio Press, Kingston (Sunrise Walk) and the National Ballroom at Hotel Realm, Barton (Gala Night) 

DateS & TIMES: Sunrise Walk: Friday 31 July at 5:30am | Gala Night: Saturday 1 August at 6:00pm 

Ticketing/Booking: Sunrise Walk is free but registration is required. Gala Night tickets are available via Humanitix, with solo and small business table options available. 

Find out more and book HERE