This year’s Northern Rivers Community Foundation has distributed over $130,000 in grants across 22 Northern Rivers organisations.
The region’s only philanthropic group, NRCF (Northern Rivers Community Foundation), announced its grants at its annual Grants Giving evening this week.
The NRCF was created 12 years ago by generous individuals within the community, and has distributed grants across 87 organisations and 211 projects – meeting social, cultural and environmental need. The 2016 announcements take the total amount committed by the Foundation to the community to over one million dollars.
The sought-after major annual grant of $25,000 was awarded to the Katia Native Bee Youth Employment Project from the Byron Bay Herb Nursery. The project aims to establish a native bee keeping business that provides employment opportunities for local indigenous youth and youth at disadvantage.
The Katia project will focus on manufacturing beehive boxes and farming native bees that can be sold or leased to the community and horticultural industry. The bees will be used for honey production as well as pollination of food crops and nut trees such as macadamias.
Participants will gain experience and skills in carpentry, native bee keeping and an understanding of the use of native bees in local indigenous cultural practices such as food and medicine production and implement making.
The Byron Bay Herb Nursery currently employs 23 people in their herb nursery, including six people with a disability. They also employ four young adults in their social enterprise area, which focuses on providing employment for youth at disadvantage through innovative projects such as composting.
The smallest grant of $1,000 went to Northern Rivers Wildlife for training 8 volunteers to handling venomous snakes.
NRCF Chair, John Callanan.
NRCF’S Chair John Callanan said: “Between both these grant winners, another 20 projects further reflected the diversity of need within the community. We have found the innovation, creativity, articulation and sheer enthusiasm shared by all applicants to be heart-warming. We are seeing a new awareness and understanding of how to progress individual causes, be they from underprivileged groups, pop -up and continual arts seeding, access to health care, educational opportunities, life skills, law, justice and community connections – including social media hubs. Scan through the successful applicants for this year, you will be astonished.”
Grantees range from a Clown Doctors Program at Lismore Hospital, a Northern Rivers Indigenous Communities suicide prevention program, a deaf dance theatre workshop – to an e-space digital hub creating community reflections and swimming lessons for former refugee children.
2016/17 NRCF Grants
AUTISM SPECTRUM AUSTRALIAN (ASPECT)
Siblings Day 2017 – To provide a fun, supportive community day for the siblings of local children with autism.
BIALA SUPPORT SERVICES INC
An adult hydraulic change table for its Respite House.
BYRON YOUTH SERVICES
Nalia Dubay – A group of girls. To deliver an eight-week program for ‘at risk’ young women from Mullumbimby High School.
BYRON YOUTH THEATRE
Here Today: An original youth devised performance and workshop exploring the complex issues of youth suicide, early intervention and prevention – followed by panel discussion and community conversation event on youth suicide.
HART SERVICES
Learner Drivers’ Assistance Program – to assist people with barriers to obtain their probationary drivers licences and to accrue required driving hours and experience.
HEADSPACE LISMORE
“Spaced Out “@Headspace. Renovation and conversion of Headspace Lismore’s unused garage to a funky youth group room.
BYRON BAY HERB NURSERY
The Katia Native Bee Youth Employment Project – establishment of a native bee keeping business that provides employment opportunities for local Indigenous youth and youth at disadvantage.
LIFELINE NORTHERN RIVERS
Suicide prevention training for Northern Rivers Indigenous Communities. Delivering a culturally appropriate and tailored package for Aboriginal communities.
LISMORE SOUP KITCHEN
For the refurbishment of 4 units of transitional accommodation occupied by single males at 11 Bridge Street, North Lismore.
MID RICHMOND NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRE
Crankfest Youth Festival: A celebration of Youth Culture and Art.
NORTHERN RIVERS LEGAL COMMUNITY CENTRE (NRLCC)
“Lets talk about Elder abuse.” To inform older members of our community about the prevalence of elder abuse, how to identify it and what to do about it.
NORTHERN RIVERS WILDLIFE CARERS
Training in handling venomous snakes – assistance with facilitation of the course for 8 NRWC volunteers.
RED INC
E-space digital hub: creating community connections. To engage people with autism spectrum disorder and other disabilities.
FERGUS & DELILAH PROJECT
Auspiced by SHAPING OUTCOMES Byron. Support Material for primary school teachers to teach the picture book Fergus and Delilah – a book that teaches young children to be more inclusive of children with a disability or developmental delay.
SHAPING OUTCOMES TWEED HEADS
The Parent Project – a seven-week course to assist parents/carers of children with a disability.
THE SHIFT PROJECT BYRON
SHIFT STITCHES – a small social enterprise program delivering training and work experience for disadvantaged women.
SPRUNG! INTEGRATED DANCE THEATRE
DANCING STORIES – A partnership between Sprung! and the Deaf Society North Coast to facilitate a deaf inclusive dance theatre workshop for deaf and non-deaf participants.
ST VINCENT DE PAUL
To kick start a swimming program for former refugee children at Goonellabah Sports Centre.
THE BUTTERY
For the Buttery’s free family counselling program.
THE HUMOUR FOUNDATION
For Lismore Hospital’s Clown Doctors Program.
UNITING CARE CASINO TRANSPORT TEAM
Transport to Resilience – transporting 10-12 clients in need of regular dialysis treatment to Lismore Base and St Vincent’s Hospital in Lismore.
WOMEN UP NORTH
LOVE BITES Program – a violence prevention program for young people.
www.nrcf.org.au
If you would like details on how to become involved and give to this independent philanthropic organisation go to https://www.nrcf.org.au/giving/why-give-to-the-nrcf/p/44
For further media information contact Rea Francis [email protected]
