A Gentleman Making a Difference
While The Man Has Style has a focus on style and design, part of the inspiration for starting many years ago was also around “the gentleman”. My belief, being a true gentleman is how you treat yourself and others with respect, it’s about making the world a better place for us all to live in. Over the years, I have worked with and interviewed many successful men. There are commonalities in these men, the kindness and caring for others only grows as time passes and they use their success to lift others up. It’s wonderful to see. With success comes an opportunity to give back in a greater way, especially if you have a high profile.
One man who is doing this is Michael Klim. A former Olympic, World and Commonwealth Gold Medallist in swimming, Michael is not only an accomplished sportsman, a man of style and a successful businessman with Milk and Co, he is also making a difference in the world with his support of Polished Man.
Polished Man has the intention of ending violence against children. This violence is an occurrence in life which should never happen, however the reality is that it does and as 5 minutes passes, another child dies. A frightening statistic. Of course, we were all children once, many having children of our own, it’s something we can all relate to – the vulnerability of children.
During October, Polished Man challenge both men and women to paint their fingernails. As they say, “Fingernails that spark conversations. Conversations that inspires donations. Donations that allow for trauma recovery and trauma prevention for children around the world. Because it shouldn’t hurt to be a child.”
I caught up with Michael to talk about his involvement with Polished Man and how readers of The Man Has Style can be involved.
Michael Klim talks Polished Man
TMHS: What connected you with Polished Man and why is this cause so important to you?
MK: I’m a proud dad of two beautiful women and a young man so protecting them has been my life’s mission. Knowing that I might be able to help raise awareness to protect them and the other children of Australia against violence gives me a great sense of pride. I think this is a conversation every man and every family should be having.
TMHS: Painting one fingernail blue does stand out. Have you found this to be a conversation starter which has turned into more awareness for Polished Man?
MK: Painting one nail is symbolic of the one in five children we lose every day. It’s about being open to discuss one of the biggest issues facing our entire people – not just here in Australia, but worldwide. This is a stand we take for humanity, and every child we have a duty to love and nurture. From my experience, painting one fingernail definitely stands out and sparks some kind of conversation – whether it be someone asking ‘what’s that?’ or actually donating to my page, I’d like to think it’s creating awareness around the serious issue.
TMHS: How does it feel being in a high-profile position that allows you to not only inspire others to reach for their goals and dreams, but to make a difference to the lives of children through campaigns such as Polished Man?
MK: It’s important to give back. It’s something I always strive to do. I want to use my influence and profile to do good and Polished Man is a cause I’m extremely passionate about. I’m a proud dad and protecting my kids has been my life’s mission. Somewhere in the world, one child is taken from us every five minutes because of violence. I can’t imagine a life without my kids; knowing that I might be able to raise awareness and protect a child gives me the motivation to keep going and be the best dad I can be. It shouldn’t hurt to be a child and we all have the power to help change this.
TMHS: How can readers find out more about Polished Man, get involved or donate?
MK: The Polished Man campaign encourages men and women to take a stand and actively commit to ending violence against children by painting one nail for the month of October. All funds raised through Polished Man are channelled into trauma recovery and trauma prevention programs for children who have suffered or are at risk of suffering violence globally.
Website: https://polishedman.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/polishedman/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PolishedManCampaign
TMHS: How can readers connect with you online?
MK: Stand up with me and help end violence against children. You can donate to my page: https://my.polishedman.com/michael-klim
When you donate or fundraise $20 you get up to 6 free Grill’d burgers to be redeemed over the Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout October.
TMHS: Any last words for readers about Polished Man?
MK: Child abuse in an epidemic in Australia and across all the seas that touch all the continents of our world. The reason behind the Polished Man title is to start the conversation with our male population. We can’t ignore the statistic that 95% of all victims of violence reported that their aggressor was male. Join the charge for change.
Leave a Reply