ClubGRANTS funding allows us to support our community
Twelve years ago, when Port Macquarie was still a country town, a community-oriented business saw potential in a riverside bowling club. The Club had deep roots in the local community with iconic lawn bowls championships being held on their perfectly kept greens. ‘Old-timers’ would enjoy a roast and a middy after their game and recap the wins and upsets of the tournament while enjoying friendly (and cheeky) banter about the form of their playmates.
While the community enjoyed the benefits of the stunning Hastings River location, the club was destined to play a larger role in the growth of our township. This all began in 2006 when The Mingara Leisure Group decided to create a new Port Macquarie community hub, and share the wealth of the thriving business with the people who matter most – the Clubs patrons, their families and friends.
The Westport Club has a living and breathing Club Vision, and this is steeped in an overarching want to give back in meaningful, authentic ways to those who call our town their home. This Vision ebbs and flows in time with the needs of the community at large and brings life to both small and large community groups, along with individuals in need of financial support to assist them in growing the richness of spirit in our local landscape.
As Port Macquarie has grown, so has the quality of the offering that The Westport Club has brought to the town. With our recent redevelopment, our suite of food and beverage outlets are now on par with the very best Clubs in NSW. As the local community thrives and prospers, and in turn chooses to spend their priceless and ever-lessening free time in our many outlets, the business strives to reinvest this both into the evolution of our offering and the community itself.
It would be easy to give broad brushstrokes covering off the immense local impact of The Westport Club’s Community Grant initiatives, but there are so many tales that deserve to be told of the incredible local volunteer groups and individuals who are making a profound impact on the way of life of some of our most vulnerable community members. Their stories are the real stars of Port Macquarie-Hastings. So many more people exist among us who quietly and patiently toil away making other people’s lives better every day.
It is to these people that The Westport Club want to give thanks. Without the efforts of these local heroes who consistently reinvent the scope of charitable and community organisations within our town we would have nowhere to reinvest our financial grants. The Westport Club is consistently amazed and humbled by the strength of community spirit to which they are able to contribute each year.
In 2017 alone, The Westport Club was able to assist the following not for profit initiatives through ClubGRANTS:
- Cuppawareness Coffee Cups Initiative – encouraging conversations about Domestic Violence in our community
- Orange Sky Laundry – a mobile laundry for those less fortunate
- Dyslexia Support Group Mid-North Coast “Reading IS Rocket Science Project”. This project aimed to increase awareness, share information and provide teacher training and professional development to support students with dyslexia and specific learning difficulties.
- Hastings Business Women’s Network
Many organisations in the Port Macquarie-Hastings area share our Club’s Vision and their work is vital to the well being of the entire region.
The Westport Club’s Community Grants Category 1 applications allow not-for-profit organisations to apply for funding up to the value of $5,000 to help them continue their work in the local area. We encourage all community organisations and groups dedicated to the welfare of our local community to apply.
Applications are now open for the 2018 Category 1 round of ClubGRANTS. Community organisations wishing to seek funding are invited to apply online on the ClubGRANTS website.