City grants provide leg-up to community groups Sandlalwood Family Centre Artgold, Historical Society and more

Community groups and organisations across Kalgoorlie-Boulder will start the 2020-21 financial year with a leg-up as they share in more than $500,000 of community grants.

The City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder council on Monday unanimously agreed to approve 13 of the 15 applicants as part of the annual community assistance scheme grant program.

Sandalwood Family Centre was among the successful applicants and will gain a $10,000 financial helping hand for an intergenerational playgroup project. Centre co-ordinator Rebecca Carrington said the centre had joined forces with the Eastern Goldfields Community Centre and Victoria Park Nursing Home to run a year-long group connecting the town’s youth with its elderly.

“There’s no intergenerational playgroups in Kalgoorlie-Boulder at the moment and we want to fill that gap,” she said.

“There’s so many benefits to these kinds of playgroups by allowing the elderly to have a sense of purpose, boost self-esteem and contribute to the community, while the youth will learn a new way of doing things and develop a greater sense of respect for the elderly.

“In Kalgoorlie a lot of families are here on their own so it’s nice to bring back that meaningful engagement with all generations and stimulate all involved through new play experiences, friendships and relationships.”

All projects approved aligned with the community themes, goals and objectives of the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder Strategic Community Plan 2019-29.

Of the $509,179.67 in grants, $224,818 were from pre-existing agreements from past rounds and include the Kalgoorlie-Boulder Volunteer Centre, Goldfields Sport Development Foundation, Artgold, Church of Christ Kalgoorlie, Eastern Goldfields Historical Society, and Goldfields Women’s Health Care Centre.