Gowrie Street Primary School
Our club has supported Gowrie Street Primary School for more than 10 years. Firstly sponsoring a book program, where we donate a book for each child in Grade Prep each year. For many of the children, it is the only book they own. We also make members available during book week, to read to and listen to the children read.
For the past 5 years, in conjunction with the Lighthouse Project, we have also participated in a Mentoring Program, which sees our members take the Grade 6 students out on excursions each week of the final term. Our aim is to share experiences with the children, that they may never have had the opportunity to see or do. Some of the experiences include visits to GV Water Treatment Plant, Shepparton Waste and Recycling facility, orchards, sheep farms, sailing on the lake with Sailability, BBQ in the bush and various others. The program has been a huge success and attendance at school on the days of the program are higher than most other days.
We also recently donated funds and workers to build a greenhouse at the school in conjunction with the Lighthouse Project, to be used to grow vegetables for the schools food program. It will also act as a learning experience for the children, working in the garden.
Annual Golf Day
In February each year, we run a charity golf day at Shepparton Golf Club. The event has been running for more than 20 years and continues to be a huge success and great fundraiser. In the past, proceeds from the golf day have been donated to various organisations such at Search and Rescue for a Rubber Boat, CFA for equipment in their command vehicle but significantly, to GV Health for furniture equipment in the Children’s Ward, refurbishment of the Emergency Department and for the past 5 years, to the GV Health Foundation for Post Graduate Nursing Scholarships. These Scholarships of $5000- each are awarded by the Foundation, to encourage staff to upskill for the benefit of the staff member and the hospital. Our commitment is for 6 scholarships each year, a $30000 – annual commitment. GV Health report that 100% of the Scholars have remained at GV Health post study, improving the skills and services available for our community.
Umoja Orphanage Kenya
In 2012, Past President Wayne Limbrick and his wife Pam, became involved in Umoja Orphanage Kenya, a project of the Rotary Club of Bundaberg Sunrise and founded by Rotarian Cathy Booth from Bundaberg. Cathy purchased 15 acres of land at Ukunda on the South Coast of Kenya in 2011. Her intention was to build accommodation for orphans and underprivileged children, provide care and education for them and to have a small farm, that was capable of producing much of the food they need, with surplus sold to help meet other bills.
Wayne and Pam travelled to Kenya in 2013 and based on their positive experience, the club decided to support them and the orphanage. Since that time, we have raised and donated in excess of $300000- from the club and members, to Umoja Orphanage and Wayne and Pam have travelled there as volunteers, 7 times and will return in August this year with club members Ian Powell and Les Mitchell and their wives Jeanette and Robyn. Member Butch Goodfellow and his wife Tam, also donated a bus to Umoja which takes the children to school each day. This has been a fantastic acquisition to the fleet and is used also to ferry the volunteers around while they are there.
Significant contributions we have been able to fund include a workshop and shed, Kubota Tractor, slasher and rotary hoe, solar pump and tanks for groundwater, construction of the boundary fence and some internal fencing, painting of the second childrens home and furnishings for that home and for the first home. A shipping container was purchased by the club and sent from Shepparton in 2019. Goods and money were donated to fill the container and included the tractor and its implements, 300ltres of Paint, solar panels and pump, petrol pump, generator, lawn mower, cement mixer, welder, power and hand tools, mattresses, clothing, shoes, kitchenware, televisions, refrigerators, gas stoves, fencing wire, playground equipment, tables and chairs and much more. The container was put onto a concrete slab and has been converted into the workshop and a shed built over it, which provides shelter for the tractor and equipment.
Umoja currently has 15 children, all at school and doing well. All given a second chance at life, good health, education, love and support. In addition, it employs 3 farm workers, a full time project manager, social worker and 2 house mothers who look after the children.
Blokes Biggest Lunch
Shepparton held the first Blokes Biggest Lunch, to raise funds for prostate cancer research. It has become an annual event in Shepparton and the concept has been adopted in a number of other regional cities. Each year, around 1000 gather for the event with catering being provided by the combined Rotary Clubs of the Goulburn Valley. It is a mammoth task to feed 1000 people as well as run the bar, wait tables etc. Members commit many hours in preparation and on the day, helping the organisation raise significant funds for cancer research. For our contribution, we receive payment for each hour of volunteer service, raising valuable funds for our club, which can be used to support other local causes.
It is also a great demonstration of how Rotary Clubs can work together for mutual benefit and achieve much more than would be possible, trying to do it on their own.
Foundation of Goodness Sri Lanka
Member Sam Atukurola has been involved in the Foundation for a number of years. His group source sporting goods, clothing, school books etc. and send them to Sri Lanka.
Our club has been involved for the past few years, donating funds mainly to pay for the freight costs, for shipping the donated goods from Australia. The Foundation of Goodness is making a significant contribution to the underprivileged children of Sri Lanka, allowing them to participate in sport and giving them much needed clothing and school needs.
Typo Youth Development Camp
Our club became involved with Typo Youth Development Camp in the early 2000’s when we built an enviro toilet adjacent to the community meeting/kitchen/dining room. Typo was a self funded program which took troubled children referred by schools and the court system and put them through a personal development course, teaching them teamwork, reliance on others, commitment and life skills. Typo camp had a woodwork room and metalwork room to teach skills and programs also included hiking through the mountains with basic equipment.
In 2010, Member Ray White designed a new unisex toilet and shower block to provide improved facilities for the participants in the program. It was also enviro friendly and included a waste recycling system. Over 2 years, the members of our club travelled to the King Valley on weekends to build the facility. The end product was amazing and provided separate male and female facilities with the ability to open the building for one or the other if needed. There were 2 shower areas and 4 toilets within the structure.