More than $17,000 will flow to 12 organisations and community projects around the State from Bell Bay Aluminium’s annual community grants and assistance program. The programs provide financial support to not-for-profit and community organisations in Tasmania on an annual basis.
A committee of Bell Bay Aluminium employees has had the arduous task of assessing the smelter's annual round of community grants.
The projects and initiatives selected by Bell Bay Aluminium employees to receive community grants in 2018 include the Cancer Council’s Relay for Life, providing 333 laundry washes for the homeless in Hobart, recycling initiatives by local primary schools, new sporting equipment, a kitchen garden initiative, providing first aid community workshops in George Town, replacement of fire fighting equipment and IT equipment for computer learning courses.
The nine organisations receiving community grants in 2018 are:
- Taroona Volunteer Fire Brigade
- Self Help Workshop Inc
- Orange Sky Australia
- St John Ambulance Australia Tas Inc.
- Riverside Primary School
- Cancer Council of Tasmania
- Exeter On Line Access Centre
- Trevallyn Primary School
- Exeter Mini League
The successful organisations will receive grants ranging in value from $600 to $2,000 at a morning tea and presentation at Pepper's York Cove in George Town on Monday 18 December at 11am.
The grants will enable these organisations to purchase much needed equipment or deliver specific support programs.
Taroona Volunteer Fire Brigade will spend their grant on a replacement fire hose roller. St John Ambulance will offer free first aid community workshops in 2018 at the George Town Community Hub.
Exeter Mini-League will benefit from the purchase of new training equipment for players. Self Help Workshop will use the grant to expand their recycling and shredding work into small to medium enterprises in Launceston. Cancer patients will benefit from BBA’s support for the Cancer Council’s annual Launceston Relay for Life community event which raises funds to reduce the impact and incidences of cancer in our community.
Riverside Primary School students will use their funds to promote the concepts of reduce, re-use and recycle to educate students and their families. Exeter On-Line Access centre will purchase new IT equipment to increase community learning. Trevallyn Primary School’s grant will continue to support their kitchen garden program and Orange Sky Australia will use the grant funding to cover the costs of three months of washing clothes for the homeless in Hobart.
In addition to the community grants Bell Bay Aluminium will present a further three community organisations with donations from a fundraising initiative supported by employees. Since August employees have been able to purchase branded Bell Bay Aluminium Keep Cups from the smelter’s cafeteria to help reduce the use of almost 8500 takeaway coffee cups each year on site. Sales from the cups will be directly donated to Launceston City Mission, The Heart Foundation and beyondblue on Monday 18 December at the morning tea.