For these Ocean Grove women, fun fundraisers are a way of life

THE Ocean Grove Evening VIEW Club, a group of around 140 Ocean Grove women, are supporting children’s education through regular fun and friendship-oriented fundraisers.

The club meets for dinner on a monthly basis and hosts smaller fundraisers in sub-groups throughout the month, all to raise funds to support the education of 16 children sponsored through The Smith Family charity.

Last month, the club elected a new committee to serve for the coming three years and began sponsoring their 16th child.

The group’s new secretary Frances Kealey said the new committee will continue to focus on supporting the education of their sponsor children through regular fundraising events.

“We focus on raising money so we can support these kids. We put them through their education as long as they’re in school. It’s a big commitment, but we feel that it’s the most important thing,” she said.

Frances said the focus on community and fun in the Ocean Grove Evening VIEW club provides the perfect foundation to get people involved in regular fundraising.

“The friendship and the fun women can have are so important, because if you can fundraise while you’re having fun and while you’re making friends it makes it worthwhile and people will come along.

“Our monthly meetings are on the fourth Wednesday of every month and it just encourages women to come along and meet other women.

“Especially those women who are new to the area, in Ocean Grove or in the Bellarine, or if they’re by themselves, it gives them the opportunity to come along and meet other women and, through friendship, do the fundraising for the Smith Family’s initiative, because the most important thing is giving these kids an education, and that’s the priority.”

The club’s smaller interest groups such as the bike riding group, a ‘Chatter books’ group which reviews and swaps books, busy bees group and more, each run their own fundraisers in order to further support the groups’ sponsor children.

Beyond this, the group hosts larger fundraisers such as a recent Bunnings BBQs, and a car rally, trivia night, and clothing swap all in planning for the coming months.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for women to make friends and do some fundraising for a really important cause,” Frances said.

The Smith Family is an independent children’s charity aimed at supporting disadvantaged Australian children get the most out of their education, through literacy, numeracy, mentorship, technology programs and more.

The organisation also enables sponsorship of disadvantaged children, providing them with necessities for their education such as a school uniform, proper shoes, textbooks or educational opportunities such as school excursions.

For women looking to join the club or find out more, email Lea at [email protected] for more details.