Dubbo Neighbourhood Centre’s bid to nurture youth and get them off the streets has been boosted by a $10,000 centenary grant from the Commonwealth Bank and its employees.
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The majority of the windfall will pay for “overheads” at its new Wingewarra Activities Centre, formerly a CWA hall in Wingewarra Street.
On Wednesday afternoon, new and visiting chief executive officer of the Commonwealth Bank Matt Comyn presented Dubbo Neighbourhood Centre chief executive officer Michelle Redden with the money in front of a crowd of supporters. They included employees of the Commonwealth Bank Dubbo Business Centre who nominated Dubbo Neighbourhood Centre for the grant.
Funding for centenary grants comes from the CommBank Foundation’s “employee giving” program, which has been supporting Australians in need for 100 years. More than 13,000 current and retired bank employees donate a portion of their income to the program, with each contribution matched dollar-for-dollar by the bank.
This year 1000 centenary grants worth $10 million will be distributed across Australia, six of them in Dubbo and district. The bank’s Dubbo branch successfully nominated PCYC Dubbo; the Orana Mall branch, Pink Angels; Narromine branch, Narromine High School; Gilgandra branch, Gilgandra High School and Wellington branch, PCYC Wellington.
Staff of the Commonwealth Bank Dubbo Business Centre nominated Dubbo Neighbourhood Centre for the grant after seeing first-hand the work it is doing for “most-at-risk” community members including youth and women subjected to domestic violence. As volunteers at the Dubbo Neighbourhood Centre and its Wingewarra Activities Centre, they saw a non-government and not-for profit organisation making a difference.
We are over the moon.
- Dubbo Neighbourhood Centre chief executive office Michelle Redden
In turn, the receipt of the grant has left Dubbo Neighbourhood Centre staff including Ms Redden “over the moon”.
“The majority of the money will actually come here into the (Wingewarra Activities) Centre to cover overheads,” she said. “We’re funded for case managers but not funded in terms of rent, electricity, Wi-Fi, actvities and even some food.”
The centre opens three nights a week with up to 40 children and youth attending each night.