Hide message
Twelve community initiatives needing a funding boost will share in $10,000 in Round 1 of the new EnergyAustralia Yallourn Community Grants program.
Community groups will receive grants of up to $5000 to build new facilities, host events, buy new equipment and upgrade existing facilities.
Plans to build the Moe Old Gippstown Men’s Shed will move forward, thanks to a $5000 grant spread across the four funding rounds at Yallourn in 2016.
It will cost about $70,000 to build this facility and the Victorian Government has expressed interest in providing a large portion of this funding, subject to additional funding from elsewhere. EnergyAustralia’s support helps build the case for state funding.
Committee Secretary David Grant said the EnergyAustralia grant has helped to officially kick-start the process of turning talk into action.
“We’ve been meeting regularly for months to discuss how to go about getting the money we need to build a Men’s Shed for Moe, so EnergyAustralia has provided us with a foundation grant to actually get the ball rolling,” Mr Grant said.
“While it would be called a ‘Men’s Shed’, this facility welcomes everyone from retirees to unemployed people looking to build new skills, so it will benefit the whole community.”
Families in need and seeking help from Gippsland Christian Church Community Care (GCCCC) will be better supported thanks to $1700 funding from EnergyAustralia.
The money will go towards buying two platform trolleys, a stair-climbing trolley and chest freezer to assist this volunteer organisation to provide food hampers.
GCCCC Co-ordinator Matthew Davey thanked EnergyAustralia for the grant, saying it would increase the organisation’s ability to help more people in need.
“We provide up to a hundred food hampers to people some weeks, so this support from EnergyAustralia will make it easier for our volunteers to carry out their work in supporting those in need in our community,” Mr Davey said.
EnergyAustralia’s Head of Yallourn Mark Pearson welcomed the opportunity to support so many different community projects that will benefit all sorts of people living in the Latrobe Valley.
“We had 28 applications in total, so we spent many hours working out which projects needed funding sooner rather than later – they were not easy decisions to make,” Mr Pearson said.
“Grants were awarded based on a project’s potential to benefit the region in three key areas: community development; the environment; and supporting the local economy.
“We received some fantastic applications and we are excited about being able to help bring those initiatives, ideas and projects to life.”
Round 2 of the EnergyAustralia Yallourn Community Grants program will open 9am on Monday, April 4 and close at 5pm April 29, 2016. For more information on the grant, please contact Meredith Bowden on (03) 5128 2960.
Other Round 1 recipients include:
- Latrobe’s Biggest Ever Blokes BBQ: $1000 to help run this prostate cancer awareness event
- Asbestos Council of Victoria/GARDS: $625 for a stall at the Home Expo Leisurefest
- Job Skills Expo (Baw Baw Latrobe Local Learning and Employment Network) - $1000 sponsorship of this annual careers expo, which attracts 3000 students.
- Yallourn Bowling Club: $1000 to go towards running events throughout the season.
- Tanjil Valley Art Show: $300 cash prize for the Photography competition
- Class Act Productions: $700 towards buying props and equipment
- Rotary Club of Moe: $300 team sponsorship for the Gippsland Rotary Golf Classic
- Gippsland Sports Academy: $880 for trophies to award young athletes at the Academy’s awards night
- Moe United Soccer Club: $400 raffle prize to raise funds to improve lighting at the ground
- Interchange Gippsland: $2000 contribution towards establishing a Father’s Retreat for dads looking after children with a disability.