WHO WE HELP

Ballina Community Men's Shed

Region - Northern Rivers

Ballina Community Men's Shed is an affiliated member of the Australian Men's Shed Association, and aims to improve social inclusion for isolated men, especially those no longer in full-time paid work. It provides a shared space where men can volunteer and work together on various activities including woodwork, light metalwork, administration and gardening - for personal and community projects and customer orders. 

Ballina Community Men's Shed has secured a new site in Ballina, and with this $62,000 Charitable Foundation grant their shed can be fitted out with high quality machinery, tools and equipment to allow an improved working environment and future membership expansion, as well as increasing the capacity to complete more community projects.

CareFlight

Region - Hunter, New England, Mid North Coast

CareFlight provides aeromedical and retrieval services across Australia, transporting thousands of patients annually from regional hospitals to major referral hospitals for specialist treatment. CareFlight has a particular focus on providing Australians living in regional and rural areas with access to quality health services, using integrated air and vehicle transport.

With the $128,000 Charitable Foundation grant, CareFlight can purchase a new ambulance-style vehicle equipped with medical equipment for use in its services. The vehicle will primarily be used to transport patients between the Air Ambulance at CareFlight's base at Newcastle Airport and Newcastle's John Hunter Hospital, connecting 3,000 regional and rural patients each year with the medical help they require.

Cystic Fibrosis Community Care

Region - All Regions

Cystic Fibrosis Community Care helps provide support to around half of the people in Australia who have cystic fibrosis. Its aim is to increase the wellbeing and quality of life of people living with CF, as well as promoting broader awareness of the disease within the community. 

The Charitable Foundation grant will allow the successful Breathe Better Program to progress and expand, aiming to build on improving the physical and mental health of people suffering from CF, through two programs: Regional Nebuliser Replacement and a Fitness Participation Program. The Regional Nebuliser Replacement program will ensure that those unable to afford equipment, can be provided with a clinically appropriate nebuliser to deliver optimal levels of medication. The Fitness Participation Program will provide long-term services and supports such as gym membership and equipment for use at home, improving overall health and wellbeing.

Hunter Medical Research Institute

Region - Hunter, New England

HMRI is committed to improving the wellbeing of the community through patient-focused translational research. HMRI provides opportunities for young emerging researchers to join its team as an Early-Career Researcher (ECR), helping them to explore innovative new research subjects to benefit public health.

With this $75,000 grant, HMRI can attract, support and retain young researchers to become top scientific leaders and specialists in research discoveries and developments, with a focus on improving health and well-being in regional communities.

Family Planning NSW

Region - Central Coast, Northern Rivers, Central West, Mid North Coast

Founded in 1926, Family Planning NSW (FPNSW) is the leading provider of reproductive and sexual health services in NSW. FPNSW offers services and counselling at its clinics, as well as individual and group-based programs tailored to the sexuality support needs of people with a disability and those who support them.

The $50,000 Charitable Foundation grant will allow FPNSW to deliver education workshops in regional NSW, tailored to specific audiences who work or care for those with a disability, including support workers, teachers, parents and carers. These programs are designed to give carers greater confidence, resources and strategies so they can deliver sexuality education that is evidence-based, positive and relevant to the lives of people with intellectual disability.

MacKillop Family Services

Region - Northern Rivers

MacKillop Family Services is an accredited provider of out of home care, offering early intervention programs to support young people and families who have a history of trauma, abuse and neglect.

Seasons for Growth is an evidence-based Australian education program that has supported 300,000 children, young people, and adults struggling with experiences of change, loss and grief for over 20 years.  The $70,000 Charitable Foundation grant will enable the development of a Seasons for Growth program tailored for young people in out of home care. The program will be piloted in the Northern Rivers region, enabling some of our most vulnerable young people to acknowledge their experience, including their hurt, while learning new ways to adapt to changing, stressful circumstances.

Miracle Babies

Region - New England, Central West, Northern Rivers

Miracle Babies is Australia’s leading supporter of premature and sick newborns, their families, and the hospitals that care for them.  The group develops and provides much-needed programs and resources, including NICU survival packs, the NurtureTime in-hospital peer support program, NutureGroup community-based family play, as well as support groups and a 24/7 helpline for families.

With help from the $56,000 Charitable Foundation's grant, Miracle Babies can grow their NutureGroups to reach regional NSW through an online portal. The portal will connect families who are physically unable to attend a NurtureGroup with the support and education they need to improve their family’s overall health and wellbeing. The funding will also see 1,000 NICU Survival Packs distributed to new families in these regions.

MMAD

Region - All regions

MMAD provides creative support to over 5,000 young people a year through the power of music. Through camps, programs and expression session initiatives, MMAD helps young people overcome challenges including homelessness, destructive behaviour patterns, exclusion from school, family breakdown, drug and alcohol dependency and unemployment.

This $50,000 Charitable Foundation grant will allow MMAD to produce a second season of their successful podcast series, Rhyme & Reason. Listeners will benefit from highly accessible, engaging content, addressing issues facing young people while offering direction to treatment or support. An accompanying mobile app will also be developed, containing further resources and toolkits to support young people through the issues tackled in the podcast series.

SHINE for Kids

Region - Hunter

Children with an incarcerated parent are six times more likely to end up in prison themselves and 40% more likely to drop out of school than those without a parent incarcerated. SHINE for Kids' RISE Education Program gives children with an incarcerated parent access to a vital support system that encourages their learning and development. Every student is provided with an independent adult volunteer to support the student academically, socially and culturally, ensuring children are positively engaging with education. This $55,000 Charitable Foundation grant will enable the RISE Education Program to expand in the Hunter region, and to provide training and resources for K-6 teachers in the region to help break the cycle of intergenerational reoffending.

The Buttery

Region - Northern Rivers

The Buttery provides a range of residential and community-based services for teenagers, adults, and families affected by addiction and mental health issues including treatment, preventive education and non-relapse aftercare. The Buttery’s CORE day program is aimed at people with carer or employment responsibilities, unable to take time out for a long-term residential rehabilitation program. 

To make the CORE program more effective and to ensure the long-term non-relapse of participants, the $58,000 Charitable Foundation grant will help commission a new pilot program to follow up participants after they have completed the program. The 12 months follow up program will provide regular and free individual and group counselling, helping to reduce the chance of relapse.

The Pyjama Foundation

Region - Hunter, Central Coast

The Pyjama Foundation is changing the educational future of children in the foster care system. Through the Pyjama Foundation’s Love of Learning program, volunteer Pyjama Angels are perfectly paired with children that need their support and companionship. The Pyjama Angel’s role focuses on learning-based activities - reading books aloud, playing educational games and helping children with their homework, providing these children with an opportunity to learn life skills, build friendships and improve confidence. 

The $24,000 grant to the Pyjama Foundation will allow the Love of Learning project to expand to help up to 80 children in foster care living in in the Hunter and Central Coast, through the careful recruitment and training of 40 Pyjama Angels.

Transitional homeless youth project

Region - Central West

Veritas House supports more than 150 young people aged16-24 experiencing homelessness in the Bathurst and Orange communities. Many of these young people have limited finances and no prior rental history which makes it difficult to be approved for leases in the private rental market thus making it difficult to break the cycle of homelessness. 

This $60,000 Charitable Foundation’s grant will allow Veritas House to complete a long-overdue refurbishment of the one-bedroom flat used as part of its Transitional Youth Housing Program to support young people escaping negative home environments.

Waves of Wellness Foundation

Region - Hunter, Northern Rivers

In Australia, 1 in 5 people experience challenges with their mental health, yet this issue remains highly stigmatised. The Waves of Wellness Foundation's mental health surf therapy programs serve these vulnerable people in the community, ensuring support is accessible and isolation is prevented.

The organisation has completed 43 surf therapy programs across NSW, directly impacting 452 participants and 129 volunteers of all ages. With this $58,000 Charitable Foundation grant, WOW can purchase a vehicle that will transport volunteers and equipment to deliver surf therapy programs in the Hunter, and support expansion to regional communities in Port Stephens and the NSW North Coast.