Funding available for local projects

COMMUNITY groups and individuals across the Surf Coast are being encouraged to apply for funding as the Torquay Lions Club opens its annual grants program.

The club, which has supported the region since 1969, distributes every dollar it raises back into the community, allocating more than $82,000 in the past financial year alone.

President Ross Yapp said the club wanted to make more community groups aware funding was available and encourage organisations that may not have applied before to put their hand up.

“If you’re out there and you are not-for-profit, let us know and we’ll see if we can help,” he said.

Funding supports a broad mix of causes, from major fundraising appeals to grassroots community projects and individual pursuits.

Last year’s recipients included the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal ($35,360), Torquay SES ($12,000), local CFA brigades, sporting clubs and community organisations.

Yapp said one memorable example was local surfer Xavier Huxtable.

“He wrote a particularly compelling letter about his surfing career and his ambitions,” Yapp said.

“His response upon receipt of the money was more gratifying than you could imagine.”

The application process has been deliberately simplified to encourage participation.

“Ours is a one pager. It’s not complex,” Yapp said. “We just want to know who you are, what you want, who benefits and then we’ll see if we can help.”

While the club continues to raise significant funds through activities such as markets and barbecues and for the Good Friday Appeal, it is also seeking new members to sustain its work.

“We’ve got about 30 members,” Yapp said. “But we are an aging club, so we are constantly looking for new members.

“There’s no commitment. You can do as little or as much as you choose.”

Volunteering, he said, is both rewarding and vital to community life.

“It’s very rewarding to see how the community can come together when you ask them to help,” Yapp said.

Grant applications are open via the Torquay Lions Club website.