Grants totalling $28,000 awarded to local community groups thanks to the Westbrook Community Fund
January 2021 in Events & Local Area
At this year’s Westbrook Community Fund presentation evening taking place on Thursday, 10 December, 25 community and not-for-profit groups from Truganina, Tarneit and Williams Landing were the happy recipients of grants totalling $28,000.
Hosting the annual event held virtually for the first time, Melissa Munro, Developments Marketing Manager for the Dennis Family Corporation, the developers of Westbrook estate, congratulated each of the not-for-profit groups that successfully applied for funding, and says she couldn't have been more delighted with the outcome.
“A vibrant healthy community takes more than bricks and mortar. It requires a range of services delivered by community groups and associations. But while the work done by both individuals and organisations – and the contributions they make to local communities, is invaluable, it often goes unrecognised”.
Says Melissa, “The Dennis Family Corporation has a long history of seeking to help others less fortunate and supports a number of not-for-profit organisations. In keeping with this philosophy of giving, the annual Community Fund concept was introduced in 2002 as a practical way of giving back to the communities we create. Since we first established the initiative in 2002, we have distributed more than $750,000 in grants across our residential estates in Victoria and South East Queensland.
She adds, “Every year we allocate funding to assist a wide range of special activities and community programs, helping people of all ages. Over the years, we’ve provided grants to hundreds of different organisations to help make their projects possible.
“This is the third year the Westbrook Community Fund has been up and running and it’s been fantastic for us to be able to provide financial support for so many worthy organisations in and around the local area where our Westbrook development is located – especially given the extent to which COVID had impacted on the ability of community groups to support those in need,” she says.
Eligibility for funding extended to not-for-profit groups operating in the Truganina, Tarneit and Williams Landing areas, with an independent judging panel allocating grants of $750, $1,000 or $1,500 to the organisations which were successful in their applications, including the Cancer Council’s Relay for Life, Sahki Saheli’s Holding Hands Program, the Truganina Fire Brigade, Victorian Bangladeshi Community Foundation and various local sporting clubs.
Sonali Padwal, Team Leader at Neighbourhood Hubs Manor Lakes Community Learning Centre and one of this year’s judges, has been overwhelmed by the quality of applications received.
“The City of Wyndham has been particularly hard hit by COVID. There are so many deserving organisations out there, doing amazing things in the local community, which have really struggled through Melbourne’s successive lockdowns. Many of these have never been in more need of support. So, it’s fantastic that Dennis Family Corporation is committed to helping them continue to help others through the Westbrook Community Fund program.”
One organisation that was successful this time round was the not-for-profit JET Australia Foundation. The Foundation’s Satya Ramagdugu was thrilled to accept a cheque for $1,500, which will be put towards JET’s free food delivery program.
“Our dedicated team of volunteers provide free meals and groceries to anyone in need in Tarneit and Truganina. All people need to do is register at https://www.jaf.org.au/jetfms.html/ and collect meals. As you can imagine, we’ve been run off our feet during the past few months since the start of the pandemic. So, we can’t thank the Dennis Family Corporation enough for their generous contribution which will help ensure we can continue to provide vital and much needed service in the local community during these challenging times,” he says.
More details on this year’s presentations can be found on the Westbrook website at www.westbrookestate.com.au.