Help your community help you

People living in suburban and regional Australia are risking their health if they fail to become actively involved in their local community groups, says ourcommunity.com.au chief executive Rhonda Galbally.

Launching ourcommunity.com.au—a national online resource centre to help find funding for Australia’s 500,000 community groups—Ms Galbally called on all Australians to stop being spectators and become active participants in their local community.

‘The research says that people who care about their local community and become involved in local activities are healthier and live longer,’ Ms Galbally said.

‘It doesn’t have to be physical. It could be a local reading club, helping out at the football club or becoming an active member of the church community. It all helps to improve our well-being.

‘These groups are so crucial and we need to look after their health in the same way we look after our own bodies. We need to nourish them, keep them healthy and be pro-active to ensure they don’t wither and die.’

Ms Galbally, a community campaigner and former head of VicHealth—which funded the ground-breaking Quit anti-smoking campaign in the 1990s—said the main reason community and non-profit groups disappeared was their inability to find a reliable source of money and extend their supporter base.

ourcommunity.com.au produces regular monthly newsletters detailing grants funding covering everything from money for local festivals or events to new computers, cash for major building projects and extending services—and how groups can access it.

It also produces separate newsletters providing information on fundraising and scholarships as well as advice on everything from setting up a board to running an event.

‘Each year, there are literally hundreds of millions of dollars in Government, private or philanthropic grants funding available,’ Ms Galbally said.

‘It tends to be only the lucky or large groups who seem to get it. We aim to change that.’

Ms Galbally said people can find out more by visiting the site at www.ourcommunity.com.au or on 9320 6800.

• For more information contact Rhonda Galbally on 9320 6809 or Brian Walsh on 9320 6813.