New charitable trust distributes four grants to local organisations

More than $22,000 has been injected into local volunteer programs, thanks to a charitable trust now operating in Sunraysia.

The are-able Charitable Trust is part of the are-able Employment organisation, a non-profit JobActive provider that’s been established in Western Victoria for nearly 20 years but opened in Mildura for the first time in July last year.

are-able offers a high-quality recruitment and employment support service to employers and supports people with a disability to become independently employed.

“The are-able Charitable Trust is one way our organisation is able to give back to the community by ensuring much-needed funding gets to where it is needed most,” are-able Employment Mildura Site Manager Ethan Fox said.

The first Mildura organisations to receive grants from the are-able Charitable Trust include:

• Mallee Accommodation and Support Program, which received $3,183 to help complete fencing and paving for a supported accommodation facility to increase security and accessibility;

• Red Cliffs Community Resource Centre, which received $5,000 to go toward the installation of a community kitchen at the community centre;

• Sunassist Volunteer Helpers, which will use the $10,000 donation to help fund the purchase of a VW Caddy to provide transport for wheelchair restricted clients around Mildura and surrounding areas and

• The Christie Centre, which gained $4,300 to help buy a shipping container for storage at a social enterprise providing employment for people with disabilities in a recycling project.

The are-able Charitable Trust was formed in 2004 with an objective to assist people with disabilities or highly disadvantaged by other factors, to achieve employment or access to employment opportunities.

Grants of up to $10,000 can be made to individual programs or projects, with funds distributed twice yearly.

“Providing grants to really worthwhile local groups is just another way are-able Employment Mildura is making sure it is in touch with the community,” Mr Fox said.

“Since we established the Mildura office in mid-2015, the support from local employers has been fantastic and I’m really excited to see locals using are-able Employment for their recruitment needs,” he said.

“are-able is a non-profit organisation that cares about the local community and we really encourage groups to think about how the Charitable Trust could support them.”

Applications for the next round of funding grants closes at the end of September.