Simone's legacy: end youth homelessness

Australian channel veteran Marc Simone was tragically killed over the weekend while training in Sydney for a charity bike ride to raise money for young homeless people in Australia.

His employer, Sydney reseller ASI Solutions, today urged people to continue Simone's legacy and give generously to the cause he ultimately gave his life for.

On Saturday he had been training for the 4000km charity ride to Darwin scheduled for April when he was struck down by a 4WD on the M4 in Emu Plains, Sydney. It was to be the latest in a number of charity rides Simone had done to raise money and awareness for youth homelessness, in collaboration with Mission Australia.

"My children receive all the love, respect, fun, education and discipline that are required in order to nurture them into respected citizens. With these basic but strong fundamentals they will be able to enjoy life as children should, and grow up to be part of a vibrant working community,” Simone recently wrote on his charity webpage.

"But what if children didn't have a home or a roof over their heads, or supporting parents and role models?  What kind of love would they receive, what kind of education would they be having? What kind of future would they have to look forward to? 

"Australia has one of the world's strongest economies. We are a prosperous nation with one of the lowest unemployment rates in the world, yet youth homelessness is increasing. How does this make sense?

“I want to make more people aware of this issue, so that we as a nation can work towards helping unprivileged children have a life to look forward to.”

More than 30,000 young people are currently estimated to be without a proper home in Australia.

ASI Solutions has called on others to help support Simone's legacy.

“Marc was an amazing person. He was always happy lifting spirits of those around him and always unselfish, honest and ethical. Marc was seen to be a leader and a mentor to those around him,” a spokesperson for ASI Solutions said.

Simone began his foray into the IT industry with a five-year stint at Axon Computers before joining Ingram Micro as a senior account manager where he worked until 2009. He had been looking after NSW education accounts at ASI Solutions for the past three years.

He is survived by a wife and two children.

Those wishing to donate can do so on Simone’s Everyday Hero webpage.