community grants award night

It was a great pleasure to attend the Community Grants Awards Night held tonight in Mooroolbark. It was wonderful to see the diversity of projects across the shire receive much needed funding through the Shire’s Community Grants program.

I was pleased that a number of local projects received funding and was thrilled to be charged with the job of handing over cheques to:
Dandenong Ranges Emergency Relief Service for a project to build partnerships with churches, local traders & service clubs. DRERS offers a valuable service to the most needy in the hills community by providing emergency relief for those experiencing hardship or crisis;

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Survival day 2008. Despite a very hot and oppressive day, the community came out in force to celebrate indigenous culture and heritage.

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Belgrave Survival Day Committee for Belgrave Survival Day 2009, Survival Day is an acknowledgement and celebration of the survival of Indigenous culture with family picnic, music, dancers, speakers, information stalls and children's entertainment;
Blue Dandenongs Film Festival Committee for the Blue Dandenongs Young Filmmakers Festival 2009 - a vibrant celebration of film culture, showcasing the best short films by emerging filmmakers in a quality festival environment at our very own Cameo Outdoor Cinema;
Open Studios Committee for Open Studios Dandenong Ranges – to promote an Open Weekend and Exhibition of working artist’s studios in the Dandenong Ranges;

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This year's lantern festival was well supported by the community, the grant will help this festival become even more successful.

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Belgrave Community Arts Partnership for the Solstice Festival of Light (Belgrave Lantern Festival), a warming winter solstice festival that engages the community in showcasing the creative talents of local residents.

Others in my ward who received grants but weren’t able to attend on the night include:
Eucalypt Creative Living Centre/Tecoma Uniting Church for Ever Flowing – a project for people of all abilities co-create and perform music and poetry and
Southern Sherbrooke Historical Society for Sherbrooke: The Thirty Years War - Recording oral histories relating to the Shire of Sherbrooke.

One of the grant recipients remarked how encouraging it was that so many community development projects received funding. It is a great way to get your all important project off the ground, I encourage more groups to apply for funding in next year’s round.

There are three types of grants available for one off community grants being the Community Development program, the Cultural Development program and the Capital Development program. For more info visit:
http://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Page/Page.asp?Page_Id=740