Australasian Dentist Magazine Nov Dec 2021

Category 122 AustrAlAsiAn Dentist i t was a beggar on the streets of Perth who caused it. His hand, his cry for change: her empty pocket. in that exchange, the whirlwind of a busy dentist’s day snapped into vivid focus: her life path of opportunity, her passion for science and social enterprise, the affluence of Australia’s comfortable lifestyle, and the need for real changes in our world. Dr Zara torre says what seemed like paradoxes suddenly constellated into a brilliant idea. “it all happened in the blink of an eye,” she says. today, that encounter when she had nothing to give has flourished into a project on the way to generating millions of dollars in generosity out of everyday Aussies’ spare change. Dr torre called it The Difference , and it’s finding its way into pockets all over the country. What Dr Zara torre saw was a free, simple App, downloadable in one click, giving Aussies the power to roundup the spare change of their card and online purchases, and give the difference to handpicked social change initiatives making the world a better place. that’s The Difference . the West Australian dentist and mother of two spent the last two years studying social change, new tech, giving trends, the concerns and disappointments of those who wish to share, and seeking inspiring projects locally, nationally and further ashore, building what she saw in that flash. the vision was an opportunity for everyday Aussies to become givers, secure in the effectiveness of their generosity, with a trustworthy, independent mediator to manage the allocation of their small change to good causes in a way that was simple, generous and inspiring. “i knew this was a way to use the skills i’d gathered in my life; focus, precision and science from dentistry, my law qualifications, a passion for social change, and this need we all feel to do real things to improve this world for others, for nature, and for the future,” she tells me from her home in Perth. “i knew, from dentistry, that the smallest things make an immense difference; in this case, everyday tech and simple spare change, combined. The Difference harnesses these to empower a nation to give, and raise millions in a sustainable way.” “the world has changed immensely,” she says. “there are people and causes reaching out for help in ways that just don’t work anymore, and many who want to give but don’t know who to trust, where the money really goes, or how to make it simple and uplifting. At the same time, we’ve got a new, generous, clean, safe and equitable world to build, together – in a hurry!” The Difference App is set and forget, impeccably ethical, private, transparent and easy. the charity projects are selected for their leanness, ethics and impact. the whole project is not for Profit, and delivers fast, true reports on outcomes and impacts to givers, demystifying the donation process completely. “the untapped power we each have to make a difference, that’s where The Difference is designed to act,” Zara says. “People and charities are calling out for coins to survive on, while cash evaporates in a cashless economy. there are problems of slow, under resourced, expensive charity models which have made people reluctant to give.” All that was needed was to build a new pathway. Dr torre says Australians supported the App in their thousands, even before the national launch in november. With research and development through the university of West Australia’s Business school, and a small team of tech, legal and blockchain whizzes around her, the dentist says she dropped her full- time role to two days, and dedicated the rest of her time, for free, to building The Difference these last years. Becoming a Founding CeO of a benevolent startup might seem like an expected turn in her career, but she says The Difference has united her fascination for the big picture and her dental eye for details. Transcendentistry – dentists going beyond In the blink of a dentist’s eye How a West Australian dentist united her professional skills and her surgical eye to inspire a nation of everyday givers in a generous new world, by Jade Richardson ColUMniStS Jade Richardson