Rainforest Now accepts Community Grant from SCCU. Photo Supplied.
Scout Wallen
The Southern Cross Credit Union (SCCU) has awarded three community organisations with $5,000 grants.
As a part of their Community Grants Initiative, SCCU received a plethora of applications from community groups in the categories of Health and Wellbeing, Environment, Art and Culture, Sport and Recreation and Education.
The three recipients of the Community Grants were decided based on the strength of their application and online voting by the community.
The 2019 grants have been awarded to:
Reforest Now, which is a Byron Bay NGO reforesting local habitats, to build a 4th misting house tunnel that will increase their ability to grow trees to be replanted in our region by a further 23,000 plants.
Shedding Community Workshop, a Mullumbimby-based unique way for locals to develop sustainable skills in carpentry, will use the grant to add 20 additional free community workshops to teach and improve trade skills to all members of the community.
The SHIFT Project Byron Bay is set to use the money to introduce Food Safety Supervisor courses and Barista courses to homeless women, or those at risk of becoming homeless, to provide them with skills to get back into the workforce.
Anne Goslett, founder and managing director of the Shift Project, said that this grant will allow women in their program to gain experience, such as working in the Bangalow Heritage Cafe.
‘The grant will allow us to support the women to enter into employment pathways so that they can access hospitality training,’ said Ms Goslett.
‘We really appreciate the community support, and the support from the cafes and the SCCU.’
CEO Stuart Edwards said that this initiative is representative of the way that the Union intends to engage the wider community and show their support and appreciation for the communities in which they operate.
‘As a customer owned financial institution, it is important to us to make a meaningful contribution to our local communities,’ said Mr Edwards.
The Community Grants Initiative is just one part of our wider Community Engagement Program, designed to show our support and appreciation of the communities in which we operate.” explained Mr Edwards.
