South Australian community groups spreading the health and wellbeing message were today awarded funding through the 2014 Medibank Community Fund (MCF) Community Grants program.
Local initiatives were awarded grants from Medibank totalling $57,300 targeted towards keeping children healthy and active, and improving the health and wellbeing of individuals and disadvantaged communities.
At the South Australia launch of the grants today at Port Adelaide Football Club, Medibank acknowledged the great work of four SA community groups and their quality programs.
Medibank Corporate Affairs General Manager, Dan O'Brien said this year's grants program attracted more than 900 applications from across Australia and New Zealand this year with 42 community groups being selected.
"Medibank Community Fund community grants are all about helping local organisations deliver the programs they know are needed in their particular regions," Mr O' Brien said.
"In many cases, these projects fill a gap that is currently not being addressed in any other way. They might be concerned with teaching life skills that can lead people towards better health and wellness, or focused on building stronger communities in an area to integrate or connect groups that may for some reason feel excluded or alone".
The MCF Community Grants program supports local grassroots initiatives that encourage healthy eating, physical activity or community connectedness. Grants are allocated regionally and vary in value depending on the project.
"All of the programs receiving a grant support Medibank's purpose of 'For Better Health and were selected by our employees, region-by-region, who reviewed the applications and selected the projects that best met the criteria," Mr O'Brien said.
SA 2014 Grant Recipients:
Power Community, Empowering Youth Program, $25,000
The Empowering Youth program encourages secondary school students aged 14-16, to make the right choices in relation to their health, wellbeing, education and future career path. The program offers students the opportunity to participate in a healthy lifestyle education program which encompasses healthy eating, physical activity and education on smoking and alcohol. The program, facilitated by community staff from Power Community Ltd and players from the Port Adelaide Football Club, will provide students with an opportunity to connect with and be inspired by current AFL players, visiting students at their schools and also at the Community Classroom at Alberton Oval where students will have a chance to participate in an active session where they experience the operation of a sporting club.
A You Tube clip from Power Community can be found at http://goo.gl/pbKeJg
Whyalla Men's Shed $7,500
Whyalla Men's Shed (WMS) will establish an outdoor area for their members, to promote health and activity. WMS has been instrumental in helping to improve the social and emotional wellbeing of members, providing opportunities to socialise, make friends and access peer support. The outdoor space will support activites that promote the physical and psychological health of members, bringing together men of all ages and backgrounds.
A You Tube clip from Whyalla Men's Shed can be found at: http://goo.gl/fG3CcP
Special Olympics South Australia, $5,000
Following the successful of a 2013 fitness program, Special Olympics South Austrlaia will extend the initiative which focusses on the health and fitness of athletes who are selected to compete at the Special Olympics National games in October 2014. The program will enable individual programs to be developed for each athlete to ensure that they are fully fit and healthy to cope with the pressure of the competition and help them achieve their goals.
A You Tube clip from Special Olympics South Australia can be found at: http://goo.gl/fxeEYv
Yankanilla Area School, $20,000
Funding for the school's Edible Kitchen Garden will help to create a sustainable, healthy environment with an emphasis on working together to grow, harvest and prepare produce, and to cook and share healthy meals. The program will provide pupils with the skills and knowledge to live a healthy and sustainable lifestyle and; develop an understanding of organic gardening methods, importance of healthy eating and being active through gardening.
About the Medibank Community Fund
The Medibank Community Fund (MCF) was set up by Medibank in 2011 to encourage people of all ages to live longer and in good health. Each year one per-cent of Medibank's pre-tax profit is invested in the fund to support four program areas: partnerships, community grants, scholarship grants and donations. In 2011-2012, this resulted in around $3 million being directed to partnerships and programs that encourage healthy eating, greater activity and more community connectedness.