Bellarine organisations share in $1 million

BELLARINE organisations have received a share of more than $1 million through the Geelong Community Foundation’s annual grants program.

The successful recipients announced at a presentation night last week include the Ocean Grove Surf Lifesaving Club, Point Lonsdale Surf Life Saving Club, Bellarine Training and Community Hub, Cottage By the Sea, Drysdale Family Support and Riding for the Disabled Barwon.

The OGSLSC received $5,000 to assist with the furnishing and equipping of a training room and new administration areas, which will be utilised to educate about beach safety behaviour, while the PLSLSC also received $5,000 to assist with the installation of a commercial kitchen, enabling a range of community and private groups to use the facility.

Bellarine Training and Community Hub received $20,000 to employ a mental health practitioner for a two-year period to provide case management and support to young people participating in the youth Drop In Program, which is heading into its 18th year of operation.

This additional resource will address the waitlist of young people wanting to get access to the program.

Cottage by the Sea also received $20,000 for disadvantaged and at-risk children and young people to complete a two-year involvement in Cottage by the Sea’s Recreation Education Environment and Friendship program.

The group of students, referred from Mandama and Grovedale primary schools, will celebrate the end of their program with three camps in the second half of 2019, including their graduation in December.

Following graduation from the program, the children will have the opportunity to remain involved with Cottage by the Sea as participants in their Mentor program.

Drysdale Family Support operates a FoodBank to distribute donated foodstuffs to less fortunate families in the region.

Since 2015, the SpringDale Community Garden, which occupies 1200 square metres of church land behind our Church, has been adding each week a freshly-harvested component to our available food stocks.

DFS has received $6,000 to enable the significant improvement of the garden’s watering system with a solar-powered pump and expanded delivery network.

The installation of the new system will alleviate the stress on older members from carrying heavy watering cans.

Riding for the Disabled Association Barwon has been in existence for 41 years and owes much of its success to the late Jane Nevile. Initially, the program was run on her property with her horses.

Since then, the organisation has moved to Koombahla Park Equestrian Centre in Wallington. RDA Barwon received $2,000 to fit out a newly donated storage shed for equipment, tack, games and all the other things needed to run a successful program.

The Geelong Community Foundation exists to make a lasting difference to people in the Geelong region.

The Foundation has been providing grants to organisations in the Geelong region since 2001, and to date, has granted $7.7 million for a diverse range of initiatives.

For more information, head to geelongfoundation. org.