Eighteen local community groups and charities in Wagga received funding from the 2024 ClubGRANTS scheme. Photo: Chris Roe.
Representitives from 18 local community groups and charities gathered at Wagga’s Rules Club on Thursday (22 August) for the 2024 ClubGRANTS scheme presentation.
More than $155,000 in funding will be shared across a diverse range of projects from school support through to counselling and yoga classes for victims of torture and trauma.
Wagga Mayor Dallas Tout opened the proceedings and said it was an important avenue of support for unique grassroots initiatives.
“It’s fantastic that the RSL Club and the Rules Club are able to contribute to the community like this,” he said.
“Whether that funding is able to provide a specific service or it contributes to another service that they can then combine with another funding opportunity.
“It’s community helping community.”
The ClubGRANTS scheme is a statewide initiative that is coordinated locally by Wagga Wagga City Council (WWCC) and a committee that includes representatives from the RSL Club, the Rules Club, the Department of Communities and Justice, and a local community representative.
The scheme involves clubs that earn more than $1 million per year in gaming machine revenue and delivers them dollar-for-dollar gaming tax deductions on the money they give to community initiatives.
Wagga City Council’s Janice Summerhayes said the program allowed smaller, niche operations to find support.
“The funding provided by this scheme assists groups that may not have been able to secure financial assistance through other means and helps to ensure valued services and projects continue to be delivered.”
Riding for the Disabled was one of the worthy ClubGrant recipients. Photo: Chris Roe.
Riding for the Disabled’s Roberta Bailey said the $3750 they had received was a vital boost for the work they did.
“We provide very discounted lessons to school groups and people that perhaps aren’t covered by the NDIS, and there’s plenty of those,” she said.
“We get no official government funding and, whilst we’re a charity, it’s all money that we raise ourselves, or money that we receive from grants through organisations such as the ClubGRANTS program.”
Karen Murray from Life Education said small grants like this kept Healthy Harold on the road.
“The support from the ClubGRANTS program has been ongoing for Life Education NSW as well as the Wagga area for numerous years,” she said.
“This funding is going to help us bring in another 500 children into our program over the next 12 months from disadvantaged schools in Wagga. So it’s going to make a massive difference.”
Young men from the Clontarf Academy programs at Kooringal and Ashmont high schools accepted the grant on behalf of the organisation. Photo: Chris Roe.
President of the Riverina Australian Football Club, Darren Wallet, said it was encouraging to see so many people doing good work.
“I think you don’t realise how many community groups are out there helping the community until you sit here and have a look at everyone that gets the club grants,” he said.
“Clubs exist for the community. They’re not-for-profit organisations for our members, owned by our members and we are here to give back to the community.
Here’s the full list of the 2024 ClubGRANTS recipients.
The Smith Family – Goanna Academy mental health program
Riding for Disabled – riding lessons for disabled schoolchildren
Learning Links – Reading for Life, supporting disadvantaged children with their literacy
Little Wings Limited – Little Wings Children’s Hospital Flight Program
Stewart House – Support for vulnerable public school children to attend Stewart House
Carevan Wagga – Supporting those experiencing food insecurity and social isolation
Country Hope – Time for Life Children’s Holiday Camp
Ashmont Public School – Breakfast Program
Foodbank NSW & ACT – Regional food relief funding
Boys to the Bush – Wagga Wagga Boys to the Bush school program
Life Education NSW – Empowering Disadvantaged Kids
St Vincent De Paul – Vinnies Crisis Support for Wagga Wagga families
NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) – Ways to Wellness, a multicultural wellbeing program
Autism Spectrum Australia – Interactive technology for students at Aspect Riverina School satellite class in Wagga Wagga
Cancer Council NSW – Wagga Wagga Relay for Life
CareSouth – CareSouth Health Hub
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