The Southern Highlands Foundation has distributed about $400,000 to the community in the past 12 months.
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But in a turn of events, the charitable organisation is now about to receive a boost to its own coffers.
Furthermore, the financial support for the charity is coming from across the globe and it was prompted by the bushfires that ravaged our community and much of our country earlier this year.
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Foundation chair Shelley Boyce OAM is thrilled with news that a donation of about $35,000 AUS ($25,000 US) will be made to the local charity.
Ms Boyce was also excited to share the news with the community.
She said the money had been pledged to the foundation from the US organisation Global Giving.
The generous donation was motivated by the impact of the 2019/20 summer bushfires in Australia.
She said that Global Giving was a big fundraising organisation in the US which aimed to provide disaster relief globally.
"They raise funds through online giving," Ms Boyce said.
"They were clearly moved by what was happening in Australia during the bushfires.
"I gather there was a lot of generosity out there during the fires."
Ms Boyce said she was contacted by a representative from Global Giving, Chase Williams who had been assigned to distribution of the funds raised through the organisation's bushfire support campaign.
"He said they had wanted to come to Australia to assess where the money could best be used to help people affected by the bushfires," she said.
"Unfortunately, due to Covid this was not possible."
As such Global Giving has sought the support of the Southern Highlands Foundation to distribute funds where they are needed locally.
Ms Boyce said a criteria for the donation was that the foundation did not receive government funding and was not linked to any churches.
The foundation ticked all necessary boxes and as such it will be charged with the task of managing and dispersing the Global Giving donation within the community.
It is a role that is familiar to the Highlands charity which has been busy distributing funds raised through the FireAid 2020 concert held at Bong Bong Racecourse in January.
It has supported many other charitable projects since its formation in 2001.
In fact the foundation has dispersed more than $400,000 to local charitable projects in the past 12 months alone, digging even deeper since the bushfires and the start of the Covid-19 global pandemic.
Among the charities that have been boosted by the Southern Highlands Foundation in a tough year, are Southern Highlands Can Assist, an ongoing scholarship program through Wollongong University for Indigenous students from the Highlands and support for the arts.
The arts' support has included the set up of a network aimed at bringing together all arts groups in the community. $2500 was also donated to Mental, an accessible arts space opened in Bowral in July for visual arts, music, digital content, performance, writing and design.
Ms Boyce said the Global Giving donation would enable the foundation to cover some administration costs associated with the dispersion of funds within the community.
"We have previously donated time to this role," she said. "Every cent raised through FireAid went back into the community, the foundation shouldered the administration costs.
"This [Global Giving donation] will help support the ongoing work of the foundation.
"It is great to finally have money given to us so that we can continue our work giving funds to others in need."
One project to be supported with the Global Giving donation will be a photographic initiative with Wingecarribee Council, which invites people impacted by the 2019/2020 bushfires to voice their experience through photos.
These photos will be included in an exhibition with monetary prizes up for grabs.
Entitled 'Photo Voice' the theme is renewal and resilience with a focus on building resilience through community representation.
Applications opened on October 1 and can be made at artsfile.com.au/photovoice
Entries close of October 22.
Entries will be on show a Community Halls Exhibition 2020 to be held at Wingello on November 8 and Balmoral on November 15.
For more information call 4868 0888 or email cath.brennan@wsc.nsw.gov.au
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