Over May and June 2019, CommBank donated $500,000 to organisations within local communities across Australia. Every CommBank branch and customer-facing team was given $500 to donate to an organisation of their choice. Donations were generally monetary, but also included volunteering or donating goods. Here are some of our 2019 recipients and the amazing work they do.
Kalamunda Volunteer Fire Brigade is a vital service for meeting the fire safety and rescue needs of the local community. Having the $500 donation from CommBank can help them maintain equipment and keep the Brigade running so they can help save lives and homes when providing bushfire support.
Danny's Bus is a non-profit organisation soup bus that feeds and clothes the homeless in the Glenorchy and Hobart Area. The $500 CommBank donation will help fund meals and clothing.
Western District Health Services is a leading Rural and Regional Health provider in Victoria and is committed to ‘creating healthier communities’. The $500 donation was put towards purchasing a Trishaw bike, which is an electric assisted bicycle that can carry two residents at a time and is driven by volunteer riders.
The Boroondara Central Lions Club is dedicated to helping members of the community who find it difficult to get support elsewhere. The Club raises funds from the sale of Christmas Cakes and their volunteer run Op Shop.
“We recently had a wonderful surprise, when the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in the Burwood Village called us to donate $500 to a Lions project. We and CBA agreed that Lions Operation Smile would be a worthy project. This project provides surgical experts to carry out crano facial reconstruction for children who have facial deformities. Over 5,000 surgeries have been carried out since 2010. Many thanks to CBA for their kindness in making this donation.”
FareShare charity kitchen in Morningside cooks surplus food into free, nutritious meals for people in need, in partnership with Foodbank who distribute the meals. Head Chef James 'creates' from whatever excess food is brought in, cooking them in 300kg kettle cookers before vacuum sealing, freezing and then distributing over 5,000 meals a day.
James says, "The biggest surprise is there is such a variety of people who need meals. It's not only those that are homeless or unemployed but those that are paying all their bills and maintaining a home but just don't have any money left to buy food". The $500 donation from CommBank will be put toward helping the kitchen volunteers achieve their mission of ‘Rescue. Cook. Feed.’
Goulburn Riding for the Disabled provides horse rising experiences for children with disabilities. This charity is run solely by volunteers and relies on the support of the local community. The $500 CommBank donation will provide additional support, including paying for the food and upkeep of the horses.
"We're very excited to have the opportunity to support the Riding for the Disabled. In particular, the equine-assisted activities for people with disabilities to develop and enhance abilities of our local young people, so it's great to be able to give back and support this work," said Noel Ottaway, Commonwealth Bank Goulburn Branch Manager.
Warrior Disability Services offer people with disabilities choices through group activities, one-to-one support, and in-home support.
Owner Sally Pereira used to work for Integrated Living but went out on her own where she felt she could make a larger positive impact. She is is a strong leader in the community and dedicated to doing the best for her clients. The $500 CommBank donation went towards an end of year trip, as most of the clients have never had a trip away.
Inclusive Directions in Edwardstown provides therapies and support for families living with (ASD) Autism Spectrum Disorder, (GDD) Global Development Delay, Intellectual Disabilities and challenging behaviours. The $500 grant will help Inclusive Directions deliver their training programs and provide further support to these families in the local community.
