The Community Hub Inc in Colac has received a $5,000 Brumby Government funding boost to support for volunteers.
Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney MP announced today that Community Hub Inc had received $5,000 from the latest round of Victorian Volunteer Small Grants.
Ms Tierney said the organisation had received the grant for its Beechy Precinct – Volunteers project to educate and inform the community about new opportunities for volunteers within the four project components of the Beechy Precinct including:
– The Joint Use Library
– Colac Secondary College
– Blue Water Fitness Centre
– Central Reserve
New and existing community volunteers will be recruited to shape and deliver the events surrounding the launch of the joint use Library facility.
This volunteer involvement will showcase and present opportunities for future volunteering within the Beechy Precinct contributing to the development and delivery of programs and services providing for community education and recreation.
It is one of 72 new projects to benefit from more than $256,000 in small grants announced this month, all aimed at helping organisations recruit and train volunteers.
The Victorian Volunteer Small Grants program is a key component of the Victorian Government’s $9.3 million Victoria’s Volunteering Strategy 2009, which aims to strengthen volunteering by making it easier for people – young people in particular – to volunteer.
“Strong families need strong communities, that’s why we are we are supporting the vital work of volunteers through these grants,” Ms Tierney said
“It’s not only the people being helped by volunteers who benefit, but also the volunteers themselves, with research showing people who volunteer reap rewards such as improved health and wellbeing and better employment opportunities.”
Community Development Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said the lives of people in communities across Victoria were touched daily by the efforts of volunteers who gave their time to help others.
“From developing a program for first aid volunteers at kids’ footy matches to helping injured wildlife on the outskirts of the city or helping people with acquired brain injury, the Victorian Volunteer Small Grants are going to a huge range of creative ideas to help bring communities closer,” Ms D’Ambrosio said.
“By volunteering you not only improve the lives of others but also make your own life richer, since volunteering helps you meet new people and gives that terrific feeling of having helped someone else.”
“Many people also volunteer to learn new skills that improve their employment opportunities,” she said.
Since 2004, the Victorian Government has provided more than $5.7 million in Victorian Volunteer Small Grants to almost 1600 community organisations.
For more information about grants, visit www.grants.dpcd.vic.gov.au