$1.5 million in ten years

Feb 14: Tony Watson had reason to celebrate at Communities for Communities’ tenth birthday celebration dinner when he scored his first hole-in-one that afternoon in the organisation’s annual golf day.

“I’ve attended each of the past ten Annual Golf Days hosted by Communities for Communities at Concord Golf Club and to my knowledge, it was the first hole-in-one scored at that event,” said Tony, who won a cash prize and promptly donated it back to the Canada Bay based charity group.

The Communities for Communities tenth anniversary dinner on February 2, attended by two hundred people,   was founded by Lance Brooks at Drummoyne Swimming Pool ten years ago.  $1.5 million has been raised to support communities in need such as Lucas Gardens School in Five Dock and in Vietnam , the Philippines and Thailand.

“A group of us felt it was important to work towards strengthening the sense of connectedness that exists in our community as it’s easy to lose that in these busy times,” Lance Brooks said. “We also knew that our community is a fortunate one, and that other communities could benefit from the proceeds of our events and that is how we began to partner with communities elsewhere.”

“We built this incredible thing,” he said of Communities for Communities. “Over 30,000 people have been involved over the ten years in 120 community events. We’ve enjoyed phenomenal support from many organisations including the City of Canada Bay Council, local businesses and of course the 2,000 people who’ve supported us as volunteers.”

Current President, Jacque Weaver reflected on the impact the organisation has had. “It’s fantastic to look back and think how much has been achieved by passionate and enthusiastic volunteers,” she said. “Communities for Communities is in great shape and we are looking forward to continuing the great work in the decade ahead.”

 

 

 

 

 

Image: Canada Bay mayor Angelo Tsirekas presents Communities for Communities president Jacque Weaver with her own auctioneer’s gavel as founder, Lance Brooks watches on.

Editor’s Comment:

This charitable group have raised $1.5 million in ten years, and done so by expending a measly 1% on costs because everyone is a volunteer. The major projects include building nine schools at Ranong on the Thai/Burma border, 320 homes in San Pio Village, at Cebu in the Philippines for families who were living on a rubbish tip, homes in Vietnam – now called Rainbow Village – for homeless people, $350,000 for Lucas Gardens School in Five Dock and $40,000 for Queensland flood victims this time last year.

That’s a short list of the projects achieved, but it’s the manner in which this group has worked together, which is the larger picture. The inclusive, positive culture within Communities for Communities, as founded by Abbotsford resident Lance Brooks, lies at the heart of its success. Charlie Lin, the guest speaker at the tenth anniversary, put it simply by saying, “It’s about giving and Lance epitomises this.”

Brooks doesn’t acknowledge this line of thought, starting most of his sentences with, “We” and talking about, “the power of community.”  120 events have been held over ten years, with 2,000 volunteers attracting 30,000 people in the Canada Bay area to raise the money to help other communities near and far. Those are breath-taking statistics.  What’s more, the Communities for Communities team organise great events that are fun and of which you want to be a part. The volunteers, from children, teenagers, young parents to older people smile and appreciate any effort or contribution. It’s an organisation you want to be associated with and play a part in and that’s the enormous cultural achievement worth bottling.

Brooks says a highlight for him has been seeing Jacque Weaver take over as president.  “We built this incredible thing and Jacque is leading from the front.”

Built on four pillars  to Live, Help other communities, Raise awareness and Spread the model, Communities for Communities is gearing up to expand its model beyond Canada Bay for other like-minded groups in Australia.

“The heart, the soul, the start was here,” he says.