ClubGRANTS: $80,000 to strengthen our community

Eighteen community organisations have received a share of $80,544 in funding from Cessnock Leagues Club under the 2024 ClubGRANTS Program.

The ClubGRANTS Category 1 program funds projects, services and programs that benefit the local community, such as welfare and social services, community development, health services and employment assistance.

The grant recipients were announced at a presentation at Cessnock Leagues Club on Thursday, 29th August. This year’s recipients and their programs included:

  • Hunter Food Relief Centre Inc: $5000 to provide healthy nutritious meals for anyone in the community who is experiencing difficulty.
  • Cessnock City Library: $4500 towards The Stories We Carry – Community Event & Writing Workshops with Jas Rawlinson, aimed at increasing awareness of domestic violence.
  • Girls Who Roar Pty Ltd: $3725 to deliver Girls Who Roar’s guided 6-week online empowerment program for teenage girls who fall within the low socio-economic and/or indigenous category within Cessnock’s local public high schools.
  • Top Blokes Foundation: $6745 to deliver the Top Blokes Mentoring Program in local high schools, supporting young males aged 14-17 build a toolkit of skills in mental health and wellbeing, social connectedness and reduced anti-social behaviours.
  • The Rotary Club of Cessnock: $7500 towards Rotary’s Feeding the Needy program, which offers breakfast and lunch for people in need every Wednesday in the Cessnock Uniting Church hall.
  • Prostate Survival Alliance Inc: $1000 to provide free counselling for prostate cancer patients and to drive awareness in the community.
  • We Care Connect: $2000 for emergency care supplies for Cessnock families affected by family violence and homelessness.
  • Spirit of Giving Fundraising Hub Inc: $5634 towards the installation of male and female showers and toilets at the Spirit of Giving cottage in Cumberland Street, Cessnock.
  • Road Safety Education Limited: $2690 to providing vulnerable young Cessnock drivers and their passengers with access to the RYDA Road Safety Program.
  • Little Wings Limited: $10,000 towards the Little Wings Children’s Hospital Flight Program, which provides free, safe and professional flight and ground transport service for seriously ill children and their families located in rural, remote and regional NSW.
  • Northern NSW Helicopter Rescue Service Limited: $2500 towards a Mobile Community Education Program for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service.
  • Cessnock City Council: $3750 for a Hobby to Micro Business Workshop, encouraging the economic empowerment of women.
  • Inspiring Hope: $3000 to deliver workshops for teenage girls who are in the transition of leaving foster care.
  • Mark Hughes Foundation: $2500 towards creating a part-time administration support position for the brain cancer charity, essential for managing its operational expansion.
  • Life Education NSW: $10,000 to deliver a preventative health education program to disadvantaged children in the Cessnock LGA, in response to increased vaping and mental wellbeing concerns in the community.
  • Carrie’s Place Domestic Violence & Homelessness Services Inc: $5000 towards the Cessnock Assertive Outreach Homelessness Support program, which provides support to individuals and families in the Cessnock and Kurri Kurri areas who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
  • Newcastle Rugby League: $2500 towards the delivery of the Voice Against Violence and State of Mind campaigns for under-19 players.
  • Family of League Foundation: $2500 towards wellbeing support for people in the Rugby League community who are in need of assistance.

Cessnock Hospitality Group president Bruce Wilson said the club was proud to continue its “tremendous” support for worthy organisations through the ClubGRANTS program.

“Over the past five years the community has benefitted from just over $357,000 in ClubGRANTS from our group which I’m sure has been well received by the recipients and covers a wide host of projects,” 

“I am sure our recipients will put the funds to good use to make our community much stronger to help those in need.”

Spirit of Giving Fundraising Hub founder Helen Dyball spoke on behalf of the recipients, and said the charity was grateful for the support from Cessnock Leagues Club.

The hub was able to open laundry facilities at its Cumberland Street premises thanks to last year’s ClubGRANTS program, and will use this year’s grant towards the installation of showers and toilets for people in need.

“It’s wonderful that we have the ability to do this for people,” she said.

The Cessnock LGA ClubGRANTS 2024 Program – which also includes ECBC Sports, Kurri Kurri Bowling Club, Greta Workers Club and Weston Workers Club – handed out a total of $179,596 in funding across 29 charities and community groups.

Next year’s ClubGRANTS Fund will open on February 1, 2025. Find out more at https://www.cessnockleagues.com.au/the-club/community-support/