Town Hall lights up for charity

TWO of eight windows at the Old Town Hall on Commercial Street are lit up as the Mount Gambier Community Mayor’s Christmas Appeal reaches $10,000 in donations.

Last year the appeal raised just over $40,000 to support the Christmas Cheer Program administered by local agencies Uniting Care, ac.care, St Vincent de Paul and The Salvation Army to provide food hampers, gifts and vouchers to families in need.

“We have added an interactive way for the community to track the fundraiser’s progress this year – each $5000 milestone will unlock a magical window display lit with Christmas lights in the windows of the Old Town Hall building,” City of Mount Gambier Mayor Lynette Martin said.

“There are eight windows in total, which will be illuminated as we reach the corresponding fundraising goal. Some windows even have special features, such as cheerful reindeers. When we hit $40,000, we’ll unveil the crowning glory of the display – a glowing Santa Claus.”

“It would be wonderful to exceed $40,000 again this year, but I do acknowledge that we are living in challenging economic times and demand for assistance is expected to be greater than ever before throughout the Christmas period.”

The Mayor is calling on the community to join in the festive effort as every act of kindness and generosity to support others can make a big impact.

“The appeal is a wonderful way to bring our community together while supporting a great cause. Every donation, big or small, makes a difference and lights up not just a window, but the hearts of our residents doing it tough,” she said. “Let’s light up every window and show what Mount Gambier can do when we come together to help those in need this festive season.”

Donations to the appeal can also be made through the following channels:

Call (08) 8721 2555 with your credit card details on hand. Council staff will email you a tax invoice.

Donate in person at the City of Mount Gambier Customer Service counter – Civic Centre, 10 Watson Terrace.

Send a cheque made out to ‘City of Mount Gambier’ PO Box 56 Mount Gambier SA 5290 with advice that the cheque is a donation to the Community Mayor’s Christmas Appeal, to enable a tax invoice to be issued.

Tins and a ‘tap and go’ EFTPOS system will also be available at local businesses.