Three community health projects have been granted funding from Medibank thanks to the votes of local South Australians.
'Life. Be in it'. SA Incorporated, Hutt Street Centre and Power Community Ltd will each share in the $600,000 worth of funding which has been made available through the 2015 Medibank Community Grants program.
Medibank Chief Customer Officer, Laz Cotsios said each project addresses an identified health need impacting the South Australian community.
“The five health projects have won the hearts of Victorians and bring Medibank’s for better health purpose to life, by encouraging local communities to eat healthier, exercise more and stay connected with those around them”, Mr Cotsios said.
“The projects will play a vital role in combatting homelessness, preventing the onset of diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes and ensuring the health of our next generation”.
The 2015 grants round was highly contested with more than 500 applications from community organisations around Australia and New Zealand.
From here, 33 projects were shortlisted online by councils made up of Medibank employees. The Australian community were then asked to vote for the community health program that was not only relevant to where they live but their own personal values.
“It was a really important and conscious decision for Medibank to get the Australian public involved in the grants program and give them the final say on which community health projects they needed the most.”
The 2015 Medibank Community Grant recipients for South Australia are:
1. 'Life. Be in it'. SA Incorporated – $20,000
Life.Be in it will implement the ‘Community Team Challenge Series’ - an eight week run or walk program for adults and kids that encourages and motivates teams to make weekly improvements. The program will be supported by newsletters with healthy eating ideas and motivational tips.
2. Hutt Street Centre - $25,000
‘EAT:PLAY:LAUGH’ brings positive experiences to the homeless to evoke feelings of joy, fun and self-worth. Through cooking classes, meal preparation, music tuition, walking groups and outings to sporting, music and comedy events ‘EAT:PLAY:LAUGH’empowers participants to lead independent and fulfilled lives.
3. Power Community Ltd - $28,000
Funding will enable the ‘Empowering Youth’ program to continue to encourage secondary school students to make positive decisions in relation to their health, lifestyle, finances and career path. The program is run by community staff and elite athletes from various sports, to provide the students with support and inspiration.