Community Club Grants

“Better, healthier outcomes for newborns and their families challenged by prematurity and sickness.”

Miracle Babies Foundation is Australia’s leading organisation supporting premature and sick newborns, their families and the hospitals that care for them.

Every year in Australia around 48,000 newborn babies require the help of a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) or Special Care Nursery (SCN). 27,000 of these babies are born premature and up to 1,000 babies lose their fight for life.

For families, the experience of having a baby come into the world not as expected or planned is life changing. Without support, this overwhelming and traumatic experience can have lifelong effects on the emotional wellbeing of these miracle families. It affects the entire family unit.

Since 2005, Miracle Babies Foundation has been passionate in developing and providing vital programs and resources to support and enhance a family’s experience from a threatened pregnancy, hospital journey with a premature or sick newborn, the transition to home and beyond.

Australia is home to 23 state of the art intensive care units designed to meet the unique and critical needs of our earliest and sickest babies. Working with health professionals on the joint agenda of better outcomes for families, Miracle Babies provides informative education and insight on a family’s experience and funding for equipment, resources and research.

“Georges River Life Care is a not for profit charity, providing services with a focus on disadvantaged individuals and families in the local Georges River community.”

In 2020, Life Care began operations in Liverpool LGA. Life Care developed relationships with Liverpool Neighbourhood Connections (LNC), who expressed the need for Food Aid in their local area. In June 2020, GRLC launched our COMMUNITY CONNECT program; supplying food hampers to some of the most vulnerable individuals & families.

In 2021 many of the local schools including Moorebank High School, Newbridge Heights Ps, Chipping Norton PS and Hammondville PS identified families that were really struggling and asked us to help. What Life Care discovered was, even though these areas were among the more affluent of the Liverpool LGA, there were many households experiencing a range of issues including family violence and breakdown as well as financial hardship, and no organisations like Life Care operating in these areas. Life Care propose to host a fortnightly Sunday COMMUNITY CONNECT event at Moorebank HS, where lunch will be the primary focus and children’s activities will also be hosted and provided. Families or individuals are welcomed and encouraged to meet others and build relationships in a safe and positive environment. At the same time, households will be able to take home a quality pantry hamper containing quality items that will help ease some of the burden.

Working alongside LNC and the local schools, Life Care have identified 50-60 households that would benefit from their COMMUNITY CONNECT program.

COMMUNITY CONNECT is a step towards reducing some the burdens of these issues present and fostering social participation and wellbeing of the community, regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, cultural or religious background.

“Heroes with Ability was formed to inspire, teach, motivate, as well as incorporate all aspects of health & wellbeing, social inclusion, and community awareness for people with physical and intellectual disabilities.“

In 2009, there were an estimated 292,600 children with disability attending school in Australia. These children were aged between 5-20 years and represented 8.3% (approx one in twelve) of all Australian children attending school in this age group. By providing opportunities for people with disability at this age, we can create generational change to the statistics in the previous slides. Through the Heroes with Ability Schools program, we can educate and embed healthy lifestyle choices, skills and habits that can be used throughout the participants’ lives.

Furthermore, our program provides employment opportunities for people with disability to be included as coaches and staff members to execute the programs. The project supports the local community by directly providing opportunities for people with disability to participate in support. Furthermore, it educates the local community on inclusion to create a more inclusive local society. Additionally, by introducing sporting opportunities to people with disability, it will also encourage them to become involved in other local opportunities and sporting organisations. This will create an inclusive local community and increase participation in local sport.

“In today’s digital world, being active has never been more important for both physical and mental development. Minifit Kids uses simple, proven methods designed to help kids to feel the same level of passion and fun for fitness that will build foundations for a healthy future“

The School Holiday Clinics are dedicated to providing boys and girls with comprehensive education on movement, physical activity, and the vital importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle through proper nutrition, hydration, and adequate sleep.

The project entails a structured curriculum that covers various aspects. It includes engaging activities, workshops, and discussions on sports drills and skills, physical fitness, and interactive games. Additionally, the program delves into the MiniFit 5 Foundations, comprising hydration, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, and screen time management. These sessions serve as a platform for initiating meaningful dialogues about the benefits of choosing nutritious foods, staying well-hydrated, and ensuring sufficient sleep for optimal well-being.

Recognizing the contemporary challenges posed by the prevalence of digital devices and limited outdoor playtime, early education is vital. The project emphasizes early intervention to promote physical and mental health among children. By encouraging teamwork and active participation, it aims to foster meaningful connections among kids. Crucially, this funding opportunity extends access to the program for all boys and girls within the local community, eliminating financial barriers for families.

“Supporting a community where difficulties learning is no longer a barrier to a fulfilling life”

Learning Links works in collaboration with schools, early childhood settings and parents to help children with learning disabilities and difficulties.

These include conditions such as ADHD, high functioning Autism, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, fine and gross motor delays and speech and language delays. The children are often anxious, have trouble communicating and interacting with others, and many have behavioural issues. In the later years they are often challenged in literacy, numeracy and impacting on their ability to complete education and participate in the community.

Early intervention for young children who experience developmental delays is critical to mitigate the risk of poor educational outcomes later in life. Learning Links is recognised as a pioneer in the area of inclusive early childhood education. At our inclusive preschool, children of all abilities learn side by side, maximising their learning abilities and wellbeing as they progress to primary school.

“We believe we can change the lives of disadvantaged people
by offering them access to wonderful programs, education and employment opportunities.”

Liverpool Neighbourhood Connections operates as a grassroots organization dedicated to offering both direct poverty relief and empowering resources for individuals and families.

The organisation’s centers serve as inclusive and secure spaces where the diverse community can convene, establish new relationships, and participate in a wide array of programs.

The executive staff is primarily based at the Warwick Farm Community Hub, with additional outreach personnel extending their services to Moorebank, Heckenberg, Cecil Hills, Lurnea, and Casula.