Australian Capital Territory

Raising money to help the Cerebral Palsy Alliance

In February, the Community CPS branch in Civic organised a coach trip to IKEA to raise funds for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance.

Cerebral Palsy is a physical disability that affects the way that a person moves. An Australian child is born with Cerebral Palsy every 15 hours. It’s a lifelong condition, but the effects can vary from a mild weakness in one hand, to a more severe condition, where the person has almost no voluntary movement.

Although there is no known cure, the Cerebral Palsy Alliance strives to enhance the lives of children, teenagers and adults living with cerebral palsy, as well as their families and carers. They aim to foster community participation and skill development through services such as therapy, technology and equipment, respite, fitness and recreation and employment services.

The funds raised from the IKEA trip and other in-branch activities have made it possible for our Civic branch to donate a total of $1412 to this wonderful organisation.

This money is being used to purchase toys and some large activate buttons to add to their Loan Library. These activate buttons allow the children with limited movement to use the toys or communication devices. Having these in the loan library allows the families to try different switch styles to suit different needs.

Civic branch staff would like to thank everyone who helped us make this possible.

If you have any suggestions for other fundraising projects you would like to see us run, please leave us a comment below or send us an email. If you are interested in becoming involved with our community efforts, please click here to see our current volunteering opportunities.

Posted on May 14, 2012 Australian Capital Territory Community Uncategorized Leave a Comment

MIX 106.FM Special Kids Xmas Party

MIX 106.FM Special Kids Xmas Party happening on the 10th December.

When – Saturday 10th December between 10am and 4pm

Who (charity partner or credit union) MIX 106.3FM Special Kids Xmas Party

ACT staff will be volunteering their time to ensure these kids have an enjoyable time this festive season.

Posted on December 5, 2011 Australian Capital Territory Community Events Leave a Comment

Supporting Bosom Buddies

The Community CPS Foundation recently provided Bosom Buddies in ACT with a $9,500 grant for the production of 15,000 shower tags which contain important information for women on how to self-examine.

Bosom Buddies ACT was established in 1995 as a non-profit organisation of volunteers who provide personal support to breast cancer patients and their families and supporters in the ACT and surrounding regions. All their volunteers have experienced breast cancer personally or through loved ones – and are committed to providing support to every person who is going through the breast cancer journey in their community.

Canberra has the highest rate of breast cancer reported in Australia. Our best defence against these rising statistics is to detect breast cancer early.

As part of a program of early detection, the Community CPS Foundation was pleased to provide a grant to Bosom Buddies for the production of the shower tags.

The shower tags inform women how to be aware of their breasts, how to detect any changes early, and provide a reminder in the shower to regularly check. The tags will be distributed to 15,000 individual women of all ages and to men.

Posted on September 7, 2011 Australian Capital Territory Community Leave a Comment

Lifeline’s Willy Wonka Gala Ball

Community CPS recently entered into a community partnership with Lifeline Canberra, who are currently celebrating their 40th anniversary.

For 40 years, Lifeline Canberra has been part of a national network offering telephone counselling to the people of Canberra and the surrounding region. Counselling is possible because of the dedication of some 200 trained volunteer telephone counsellors who fill shifts to ensure that the phone will be answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

As part of our fundraising activities with Lifeline, we became the major sponsor of their recent Willy Wonka Gala Ball held at the Hotel Realm on Saturday 13 August with over 500 guests in attendance. The ball was themed entirely around the movie classic “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”.

A highlight of the night was the guests opening their Community CPS chocolate bars in the hope of finding the ‘Golden Ticket’ with the prize being a $500 hamper. The event was a great success with over $60,000 being raised on the night!

Posted on August 16, 2011 Australian Capital Territory Community Leave a Comment

Cerebral Palsy Alliance

In 2010, the Community CPS Foundation was proud to support the Cerebral Palsy Alliance with a grant of $20,000 to enable the continuation of their youth program ‘Get Out There’ and the ‘ACTive Kids’ program for preschool aged children with cerebral palsy.

In 2011, the staff at Community CPS were committed to raising much needed funds to support the local programs and to provide staff volunteers to further enhance the relationship we share. “Our involvement with the Cerebral Palsy team in the ACT is about building a partnership that supports the families touched by Cerebral Palsy,” said Chris Blight, State Manager.

The staff and families of the Cerebral Palsy Alliance touched the hearts of the staff of Community CPS Australia in a big way. “Our branch staff have matched the $20,000 grant given by the Community CPS Foundation with a donation of their own through various fundraising methods such as chocolate drives, barbecues and donation boxes in branches as we look forward to assisting with the Summer and Winter Escape programs,” said Karen Gassner, Human Resource Consultant.

“We have enjoyed our credit union’s relationship with the Cerebral Palsy Alliance so far and seeing how we can help make a difference by putting a smile on a child’s face,” said Chris Blight.

Posted on July 9, 2011 Australian Capital Territory Community Leave a Comment

Community CPS supports the Calvary John James Hospital

A morning tea was held at Calvary John James Maternity Unit on the 15 June to celebrate the recent improvements Community CPS has made to the ante-natal room at the hospital. CPS’s latest community initiative – upgrading of resources in the ante-natal room at the John James Maternity Unit to help local nurses prepare new parents for the life changing experiences ahead.

Through personal experience staff at CPS identified a need in this area of the community and responded by engaging the nursing staff at the Calvary John James Maternity Unit to identify what improvements were most urgent to the ante-natal room.

With generous discounts from a long time supporter of our community initiatives, Richard Singh from Bing Lee, the hospital received the following items they required. CPS went out and bought items such as a brand new flat screen TV with built-in DVD player, a projector, a laptop and new models for demonstrating resuscitation techniques and breast feeding.

Posted on June 24, 2011 Australian Capital Territory Community Leave a Comment

Helping SIDS 4 Kids

The fundraising event for Sids 4 Kids was held at the Murrumbidgee Golf Club on Thursday 7 April, in memory of Jackson Asher.

The day started early in the morning, with the Ambrose scored 18 holes kicking off at 9:30 am. With 164 players participating and a further 50 volunteers supporting the event day was a success and over $70.000 were raised. Community CPS entered a team of three and had a cracking start on the first few holes, but ended up scoring 4 over par, 76.

Community CPS donated two $300 savings accounts, which were won by making a donation and having a go at chipping a golf ball into the ‘Community CPS Boat’ in the lagoon at hole 8. Zara Warne and Deb Lyons (from our Civic Branch) kept the chippers in check and promoted the credit union as well. The day finished with pizzas, raffles and an auction. Overall, it was a fun day for all involved.

Posted on June 14, 2011 Australian Capital Territory Community Leave a Comment

Donation of $500 fundraising hamper to ACT Rover Scouts

Recently Community CPS donated a hamper to the ACT Rover Scouts for their Solomon Islands Project. The Rover Scouts are a branch of the scouting movement aimed at young people aged 18-25. A team of the Rover Scouts from the ACT region has set out to provide a complete refurbishment of the Red Cross Special Development Centre for Children in Honiara, Solomon Islands. This is the only school in the Solomon Islands which caters to the needs of students with disabilities. The project is also designed to give young people from the ACT the opportunity to raise awareness of this cause and develop their leadership skills.

The picture shows Richard Dwyer (Manager of Civic Branch) and Maureen Weekes (Civic staff member) handing over the $500 fundraising hamper to the Rover Scouts.

Posted on June 9, 2011 Australian Capital Territory Community Leave a Comment

Helping Tuggeranong United Football Club

Tuggeranong United Football Club for Women is run by a Committee of volunteers and aims to promote health & fitness of women in the Tuggeranong Valley, through football. The club consists of eight teams, which represents a playing group in the order of 120 registered participants. The club requested sponsors to assist them in their efforts to raise between $10,000 – $15,000 to support the club for the 2011 season. To make a contribution to their request, Community CPS donated a $500 fundraiser hamper to the club.

The picture shows Chris Blight (ACT State Manager) donating the $500 hamper.

Posted on June 5, 2011 Australian Capital Territory Community Leave a Comment

Wests Junior Rugby Fundraise $2,500 with CPS’s Help

Community CPS donated a hamper to Wests U15 Junior Rugby team, this hamper was used as a prize for a raffle. The hamper included items like a coffee machine and much more! The team sold raffle tickets to ensure they are able to go on tour and represent Wests. The hamper was won by Liz and Brendan Lynch of Hall.

Image left to right: Major tour Sponsor- Andrew Cunich from Australian Unity, Liz and Brendan Lynch (winners of the hamper) and Paul Webb (Wests Sponsorship Coordinator).

Posted on June 1, 2011 Australian Capital Territory Community Leave a Comment

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