Karli Kenny and Leah Roodenrys, of Kenny Escapes Food Wine and Experiences, are helping Illawarra firefighters raise funds for Motor Neurone Disease.
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Mrs Kenny and Mrs Roodenrys see it as a way to give back following the steady growth of their business showcasing local produce.
Inspired by the story of another mum they wanted to help firefighters run a charity day for MND research on June 29. And are inviting people to join the bus tour.
When local firie Sarah Tobin asked if there was anything Kenny Escapes could do to help the annual MND fundraising efforts in honour of colleague Naomi Cocksedge they said yes straight away.
Mrs Cocksedge lost her mother and sister to MND and now her brother Dr Justin Yerbury is battling the disease. Each year she and Ms Tobin and other firies in Team Zulu enter the Sydney Tower Climb to raise funds through sponsorship.
Next week Kenny Escapes is donating 100 per cent of the profits of a charity wine tour to Macquarie University Motor Neuron Disease Research Centre.
During the last 12 months Kenny Escapes has doubled in size by working with local wineries in the Shoalhaven and on the Southern Highlands to offer a unique tour product.
It won the Illawarra Women In Business (IWIB) Customer Focus Award in 2017 and was highly commended in the best small business and customer focus categories in 2018.
“Kenny Escapes Food Wine and Experiences is about celebrating the importance of having fun with friends, getting out to explore our beautiful countryside and making it a priority in life to laugh, eat and cheers with your loved ones, friends or colleagues,” Mrs Roodenrys said.
The two businesswomen have five children between them and run the business from their homes.
“I am so excited that more people are now discovering the beauty and quality of produce in our very own backyard and are actively making an effort to get out and explore locally,” Mrs Kenny said.
“When I started Kenny Escapes almost 12 years ago very few people even realised that we have two fantastic wine regions within an hour of Wollongong. But now, a day out at the local wineries is the go-to event for special occasions or a day out with friends. That to me is the most exciting part of our recent success, because as our business grows so does so many other local businesses too.”