Sponsors help with support

By Lachlan Ellis

With the yearly Christmas raffle now complete, Ballan Auxiliary has thanked all the sponsors and supporters, both in 2022 and in the past, for making its fundraising possible.

The group has a dedicated team of 12 ladies who work tirelessly to raise funds for the ageing community at the Aged Care and Hostel in Ballan, but President Jackie Wetzler said their work wouldn’t be possible without the support of local businesses and the community.

“Our supporters have been amazing…we’ve had IGA letting us sell tickets, vouchers from the Ballan Butcher and Ballan Take Away, and Sweet N Sassy always help us too. UFS have been great supporters as well. We get a lot of support from local businesses, we couldn’t do it without them,” Ms Wetzler told the Moorabool News.

“We ask the aged care residents what they need, and the funds go towards that. Anything we can help with, we will…we do four raffles a year, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter, and Christmas.”

Param Singh is the owner of Ballan Fresh Fruit & Veg, and began supporting the Ballan Auxiliary this year.

He said it was important to give back to the community, which had given so much to him and his business.

“This is all about the community…I remember when we started our business nearly three years ago. Without the support from the community we wouldn’t be open,” Mr Singh said.

“For us, it’s pretty much giving something back to the community, and helping each other out. This is the very first time, we put our hand up to help straight away. We’ve been helping out with the Ballan Cricket Club and the local schools too.”

The prizes were drawn on Wednesday 21 December, with first prize being a Christmas hamper valued at over $200, and second prize being a hamper valued at around $170.

Ms Wetzler also thanked The Tin Plate Cafe and the Ballan Newsagency for their support.