Dubbo's hard working community organisations have been given a welcome financial boost as part of Dubbo City Council's Community Financial Assistance Program.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A total of $10,000 was handed to 13 not-for-profit organisations by Mayor Mathew Dickerson and DCC community services director David Dwyer yesterday.
Among the deserving groups to receive funding were the Orana Early Childhood Intervention Centre, who have been given $1000 to run programs for speech, language and feeding development, HeartKids NSW, who got a $1000 grant to run a family day for children with heart disease and their families and the Outback Dragons, who received $1000 to purchase new paddles, lifejackets, folding chairs and a gazebo.
The Dubbo Pink Ladies Auxiliary will purchase 10 new uniforms with their $700 grant and member Jenny Kelly said the money is a welcome boost.
"The uniforms coast $70 each so this is a big help for us. We are a not-for-profit organisation that isn't allowed to fundraise so all our money has to come from donations," Ms Kelly said.
"We are only a small organisation, we have 44 members but it's a valuable service because many patients at Dubbo hospital are from outer areas and may not have family here with them who can do washing or shopping so we help with that."
The Orana Toy Library plan to use their $600 grant to establish a website and brochures to help raise their profile within the community.
Cr Dickerson said all groups who receive awards are extremely good workers.
"These people are doing great work in our community," he said.
"They have gone through an extensive process to show what the grants would do for not just the group but the wider community.'
The mayor said the annual community grants are a good reminder of the outstanding work community groups do in Dubbo.
"When I talk to other mayors, one of the things that strikes me about Dubbo is the involvement we have from our community groups," Cr Dickerson said.
"Sensis data shows we have a higher volunteering rate than the state average. We are about two, almost three per cent higher than the state average.
"We sit at about 19.6 per cent and the state average is about 16.9 per cent. It shows our great community spirit."
