WHO WE HELP

Autoimmune video snapshot project

Region - All Regions

The Charitable Foundation has previously funded regional workshops hosted by the ARRC for people living with chronic autoimmune illnesses including lupus, scleroderma, Sjögrens and Raynaud’s.

This $44,000 grant will allow the ARRC to develop a suite of digital materials to extend its reach and help to educate patients, their families, carers and communities about autoimmune diseases, their impacts on everyday life, and how to find a way forward while living with an autoimmune disease. With 1 in 20 people suffering from an autoimmune disease, these materials will provide significant scale for the ARRC to support patients throughout Australia.

'Smash the stigma' expansion- Clarence Valley

Region - Northern Rivers

For every 30 students in Australia, seven will be affected by mental illness, only two will reach out for support, leaving five to suffer in silence.

Batyr Australia provides support and education programs for young people affected by mental illness, and this $73,000 grant will expand their services to the Grafton and Clarence Valley community, with the goal of reducing youth suicide and increasing the number of young people who speak up to ask for help and intervention.

New Vehicles for Transport to Treatment

Region - New England, Northern Rivers

More than 6,000 people undergoing cancer treatment in NSW face problems getting to and from their life-saving treatment, creating added burdens of stress and financial pressure during an already traumatic period.

This $95,000 grant will provide critical vehicles and equipment to enable the Cancer Council NSW’s Tamworth and Lismore Transport to Treatment volunteers to continue providing services to remote and rural patients undergoing cancer treatment, using the new centralised booking system, TRIPS – the development of which was also funded by a Foundation grant in February 2018.

Supporting families staying at RMHC Orange with a child in hospital who do not have their own transport

Region - Central West

Many families using Ronald McDonald House Orange have no access to a private vehicle to enable local travel during their stay.

This $25,000 grant will allow RMHC to purchase a vehicle to transport families to and from local health and wellbeing services as well as everyday activities during their stay, providing relief and respite as well as important connection to services.

Connections in School

Region - Central Coast

IRIS aims to reduce the risk of suicide on the Central Coast by facilitating and supporting awareness campaigns, programs and partnerships to enhance community connectedness and wellbeing. IRIS’ Connections programs provide early intervention to deliver targeted programs that build resilience and healthy behaviours for students in years 5-8, before issues have serious impact on performance or wellbeing.

The Charitable Foundation grant of $62,460 will support IRIS to deliver 18 Connections programs across the Central Coast to help at-risk students develop resilience, form new friendships, realise their potential and learn new skills.

Community Education Program Renovation

Region - Hunter

Hunter SLS offers a Community Education Program to more than 5,000 students and students of public, independent and catholic schools across the Hunter region (many from rural communities). The program is also available to international tertiary students and refugee groups who have no experience with beach safety, and are at a higher risk of encountering trouble in the ocean.

Delivered in schools and on the beach, the Program teaches important water safety skills including how to identify a rip, catch a wave, get assistance and basic CPR. This $26,000 grant will fund the the development of a suite of digital teaching tools, as well as the purchase of a new trailer and new equipment, to enable Hunter SLS to continue delivering the program to thousands more beach goers.

MSN Refugee Educational and Career Development Scholarships

Region - Hunter

For refugee and migrant youth, who have often come from traumatic backgrounds at a young age, settling in to study and eventually work can be difficult, particularly when it can be a struggle just to understand the local culture and environment and finances are tights.

The Charitable Foundation funded a pilot scholarship program with MSN in 2018 offering a combination of financial support, mentoring and career coaching to give young people the best possible pathway into a meaningful career as well as significant social benefits that come from an experienced mentor. This $34,000 grant will fund the delivery of the scholarship program in 2020.

Little Wings Avionics Program

Region - All Regions

Little Wings supports families from regional NSW with a child who is suffering from a chronic or serious illness such as cancer. Little Wings recently acquired a second twin engine aircraft which requires an update to its basic avionics equipment to comply with standards for Little Wings volunteer pilots.

This grant of $83,000 will help provide an avionics upgrade to ensure volunteer pilots have access to the latest technology in flight planning, weather and situational awareness on board to make sure each flight's precious cargo is transported safely and reliably.

Sensational Spaces

Region - Hunter

For many people living with a disability in regional areas, especially those with complex support needs or barriers to communication, opportunities to experience places and spaces that ignite all the senses are rare or limited. For others, overstimulation of the senses can lead to erratic or self-harmful behaviours.

This $60,000 grant will enable Mai-Wel to create an innovative Sensational Spaces project to deliver two sensory rooms and a sensory garden for the people with a disability who access services at ‘The Hill’, Mai-Wel’s Lifestyle & Leisure centre in Maitland. The project will enable participants to control their use of the space to suit individual needs, empowering them to achieve positive social and wellbeing outcomes.

Grow 'n Munch

Region - Mid North Coast

MiiMi provides centralised support services to some of the most marginalised residents of Bowraville – which is considered one of the most disadvantaged towns in New South Wales. With low income levels, high unemployment, and a high proportion of students not meeting education standards, many people in Bowraville depend on MiiMi for basic services, including their recently established laundry service for those sleeping rough.

This Charitable Foundation grant of $25,000 will enable MiiMi to complement its other services with a soup kitchen, feeding homeless and in-need residents once or twice each week, and connecting them with other support services. The kitchen, which will also feature an integrated vegetable garden, will provide nourishing meals, vegetable packs, and cooking and growing workshops to educate the community.

PCYC Grafton Youth Hub fit out and transportation

Region - Northern Rivers

Grafton, like many regional communities, faces a complex range of social issues impacting youth, including disproportionate low income households, high youth unemployment, low educational attainment, significant DFV rates, and low physical activity.

To support the community and youth of Grafton and surrounds, the Charitable Foundation will provide a $99,000 grant to the PCYC NSW to fund a 12-seater vehicle and a new youth hub, as part of the new PCYC Grafton centre.

Renovation of three self-contained units at Newcastle House

Region - Hunter, New England, Mid North Coast

Red Gum House operates six self-contained units at Ronald McDonald House Newcastle for families with a child receiving treatment for cancer or other serious illness at John Hunter Children’s Hospital.

The Charitable Foundation grant of $124,000 will fund the refurbishment of three units to ensure the units can comfortably meet the needs of families for years to come, despite year-round use. The funding will cover new kitchens, bathroom, laundry, flooring, painting and window coverings for each unit, and renovations will be carried out on a rolling basis as they become vacant to avoid disruptions to families already in residence and maintain availability.