THERE was cause for celebration at Standing Tall in Hamilton (STiH) and Good Shepherd College’s Junior Campus after they were announced as recipients of the annual Wannon Water Ripple Effect community grants program.

The program saw a total of $44,000 given out to seventeen organisations and schools across south-west Victoria, with STiH receiving $5000 and Good Shepherd College’s Junior Campus receiving $1000.

STiH chairperson, Robert Vecchiet, said the organisation was “delighted” to receive the much-needed funds.

“We couldn’t be more pleased,” he said.

“(Standing Tall) is a community program where we support our local young people, so to have an organisation support that is fantastic.

“We don’t see it as two individuals supporting our young people, we see it as a community supporting our young people.

“I want to thank Wannon Water for supporting us and helping the saying of - ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ - to come true in Hamilton.”

STiH plans to use the $5000 to deliver their ‘Empower Project’ which consists of bi-monthly mentor empowering sessions to support and strengthen the skills of new and long-term mentors, and holding an annual Empower Day.

STiH program manager, Dee Barrera, said the Empower Project would deliver ongoing benefits to the wider community through inspiring current and future generations.

“The Empower Project will provide an opportunity to support the growth of STiH, demonstrate our commitment to and appreciation of our mentors, and allow us to continue to build their capacity by fostering ongoing and regular development opportunities,” she said.

Ms Barrera said the grant would allow for four Mentor Empowering sessions to be delivered in Hamilton and two sessions to be delivered out of town to target mentors from Balmoral, Cavendish, Dunkeld, and Penshurst.

“These sessions are designed to inspire our mentors and ensure they feel valued, maintain their engagement, keep them connected, and nurture their skills,” she said.

“(They are) designed to support the ongoing building of new and long-term mentors, strengthen their skills, and encourage meaningful connections with fellow mentors, mentees and the wider community.”

Good Shepherd College Junior Campus are using their money to establish a nature play sensory garden, which head of junior campus, Ali Wedding, said would transform a rather lifeless mound in the playground into a “welcoming addition to the College”. 

“There is an undeveloped mound in our existing play space that we will develop into a sensory garden - nature play space,” she said.

“We will look at different types of plants that will grow easily on the mound, as well as add features such as big logs and rocks.

“It won’t be a place to play chasey or other energetic games, but rather a place where the students can go to appreciate some space and nature.

“The sensory garden will add a space in the Junior Campus where students can reflect and grow in an awareness of themselves and their surroundings.”

The school aims to have the garden completed by the start of the 2023 school year, with Ms Wedding saying the students would play an active role in its completion.

“Students will be involved in every stage of the project, from the concept design to the final finished product,” she said.

“We will consult with the students about the design of the space, the types of plants and the path, and those that wish to be involved in planting and positioning of items will lead and join in with the task.

“Some students will help arrange people to help with the project, such as calling on a contractor to do some earthworks.”

The recipients of the Ripple Effect grants were announced last week by Wannon Water general manager of community and corporate services, Kellie King, who said the program reflected the company’s strategic direction of ‘going beyond water for strong communities’.

“We believe that building stronger communities is linked with building value for our customers and our communities, and making our contribution to a better world,” she said.

“The breadth and quality of this year’s grant applications was incredibly high and demonstrates the strength of our community sector and the diversity of initiatives on offer.”

Funding was allocated in three streams, with up to $5000 available to community groups, up to $4000 for international aid, and up to $1000 for schools.