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COMMUNITY
Youth Drug, Alcohol & Mental Illness
Awareness Support Programme
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Kempe Read the Play
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Wheelchairs for Kids Project
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Youth Development Through Sport
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Other Community Initiatives
Kempe supports junior development as a
key initiative in the communities where the organisation
operates. We ensure that the community embraces our
citizenship by:
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Enhancing the quality of life and future of the local
community in which we work
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Respecting and upholding local community values
Our main initiatives include:
Youth Drug, Alcohol & Mental Illness Awareness Support
Programme – Kempe Read the
Play
The ‘Read the Play’ mission statement is; ‘to raise
the awareness of young peoples’ health and behavioural
issues and guide them to the relevant support services’. In
conjunction with our partners, Victoria Police, ORYGEN
Health Service, Barwon Health Foundation, Geelong Junior
Football, Geelong Football Club, Bellarine Football League,
Geelong & District Football League and the Bellarine
District Netball League we have introduced the program into
the under 15 netball and under 16 football leagues.
Wheelchairs for Kids Project
We provide support to this worthy project run through the
Rotary Club with financial donations. The Wheelchairs for
Kids program was initiated in 1993 by Rotarian Des LaRance,
from the Rotary Club of Surfers Sunrise, following a holiday
visit to Fiji. Des noticed a child who was physically
disabled, unable to walk and dragging himself around on the
mud floor of his simple village home on his bottom in the
dust. He suggested the idea of providing a wheelchair for
this and other children to enable mobility and the ability
to undertaking schooling and mixing with the child's peer
group.
Des constructed a simple, but very rugged wheelchair from
old bicycle parts and a wooden chair attached. The Rotary
club took on the idea and with the assistance of Channel 9
in Brisbane raised over $200,000 to build wheelchairs and
supply to Third World Country children in need. It has been
estimated that there is a need in excess of 300 million for
these chairs throughout the world.
The wheelchairs are made from an aluminium frame, 16' wheels
with roller bearings and solid rubber tyres, an aluminium
base (foot plate) with a smaller centrally placed castor
wheel and the seats are recycled plastic, often obtained
from old school seats or sporting venues. Apart from the
recycled seats, the chairs are made from all new materials.
The chairs are packaged as kits in boxes, together with a
small tool kit for assembly and a cushion and small toy for
the recipient. The boxes and transport to the major delivery
ports are all donated by generous benefactors. Overseas
distribution in containers is paid for by several bodies
including other Rotary clubs.
The wheelchairs are provided to disabled children in more
than 40 countries in every continent at no cost.
Distribution is managed by World Vision and other aid
organizations. To date over 5,000 chairs have been provided
and the need far outweighs the ability to supply.
For further information please see:
www.9810.rotary.org.au/content/23/Wheelchairs_for_Kids.html
As part of our youth development program,
we also support local junior sports in football, netball,
tennis, cricket, basketball and triathlons with emphasis on
delivering support programs for the disadvantaged. These
sponsorships include:
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Monetary assistance, training, coaching and donation of
various items to junior sporting clubs which are
necessary to the success of the clubs’
activities
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Assistance with school working bees
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Sponsorship of junior sporting events
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Donations to the Children with Cancer Foundation
As part of our community program, we also support various
charities and organisations with an emphasis on the needy
and disadvantaged in society. These include:
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Donations to:
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Breast Cancer Foundation
- Red
Cross
- Salvation
Army
- Saving
animals from Euthanasia
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Assistance with barbecues for various charities
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Participation and sponsorship of the Tru Energy Fun Run/Walk
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Donation of equipment to Apex
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Participation in Show Days
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Donations to retirement villages
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Monetary donations, repairs and assistance to motor cross
clubs
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