PROJECTS + EVENTS

COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONS AUSTRALIA LISTENING TOUR

Community Foundations Australia CEO Ian Bird and his team met with ACF Board Members in April as part of the CFA’s ‘listening tour’ centred around meeting with Community Foundations across the country. ACF were grateful to be part of this national visit, and to share in Ian’s wealth of knowledge in community foundation development and leadership.

6 Board members travelled to Perth for an invaluable day of knowledge sharing with Fremantle Foundation and Philanthropy Australia and were grateful for the opportunity to learn from others with the same vision and philosophies.

The foundation is growing and evolving in response to local community needs, and we look forward to implementing the outcomes of this learning journey.

Click below to listen to Ian Bird’s podcast discussing future direction and growth for community foundations across Australia:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/55lvSV0hm3LlsnbHcTLeGr?si=RKcmkRBIR46aDrf5MxByhw

VITAL SIGNS

The ACF were successful in receiving a grant to fund the research and creation of a Vital Signs report for Albany. Vital Signs is a community-driven data program that uses local knowledge to measure the vitality of a community and support action towards improving the collective quality of life. Albany’s Vital Signs 2023 explores four key themes:

• Education and Employment

• Housing and Financial Stress

• Belonging

• Health and Resilience

Albany’s Vital Signs 2023 report aims to identify trends and opportunities to raise awareness of the strengths and challenges in the community. The goal is to generate action and spark conversation within our local community, and to identify areas of need to create the greatest impact.

ALBANY HOMELESSNESS CONNECTION EVENT

The Albany Homelessness Connection Event on December 6th 2023 identified that there are more than 160 people are currently homeless in Albany, however it is likely that this number is significantly more. The results from the day highlight the growing homelessness crisis in Albany and the need for action.

Albany Youth Support Association Chief Executive Ian Clarke said government support was needed to help the community address homelessness in Albany. “This requires a multifaceted approach involving government, non-profit organisations, community and individuals with lived experiences,” he said. “We must work together and advocate for meaningful solutions, fostering a community where homelessness is not just a crisis but a challenge we are committed to overcoming.

ACF work alongside a number of these local agencies, with the shared view of reducing homelessness in our community.

JOIN US AT OUR ANNUAL END OF YEAR EVENT

We invite you to celebrate the year of 2023 as we present the highlights and achievements of the ACF.

We also look forward to the launch of the Vital Signs project which provides a snapshot of our local community.

ALBANY’S BIG SLEEP OUT 2023

THE ANNUAL BIG SLEEP OUT held on the 26th august WAS A HUGE SUCCESS AT THE albany agricultural pavilion WITH OVER $44,000 RAISED. THANKYOU TO ALL INVOLVED, AND THOSE WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THIS FANTASTIC ENDEAVOUR.

You can still donate towards homelessness in Albany at any time, just make a donation to the Albany Community Foundation with “homelessness” in the description.

next year’s event is likely to be 24th august 2024.

HOMELESSNESS CONNECTION EVENT

Please read the below document outlining the findings from the recently held Homelessness Connection Event in Albany.

REBECCA STEPHENS MLA

REBECCA RECENTLY DELIVERED A 90 SECOND STATEMENT IN PARLIAMENT HIGHLIGHTING THE WORK OF THE ACF. THANKS BEC!

2022 MEMBER’S VISION NIGHT

THANKYOU FOR ATTENDING THE 2022 MEMBER’S NIGHT AND THE LAUNCH OF THE CRISIS RESPONSE FUND.

ALBANY’S BIG SLEEP OUT 2022

The Big Sleep Out is an annual fundraising initiative that encourages you to get out of your comfort zone for one night to raise funds for the less fortunate in our city who are homeless.

The funds YOU raise will directly benefit those living in our town who through no fault of their own find themselves unable to support themselves. This year we focus on Youth Homelessness, what that looks like in our city and what YOU can do to help.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

1. Sign up to the Sleep Out challenge, telling us why you are sleeping out
2. Ask family, friends & workmates to sponsor you
3. Turn up with a swag and positive attitude
4. Help those in our community who need it most

We ask you to join us for a night to remember, for as well as raising funds for an important cause, you will experience a side to homelessness that you may have never considered before.

SHELTER WA - VISIT TO ALBANY

Shelter WA was in Albany in June to meet with members and local stakeholders involved in housing and ending homelessness.

Advance Housing hosted the local housing and homelessness network, for a discussion on key issues and initiatives with Shelter WA Regional Engagement Manager Rhiannon Bristow-Stagg and Policy and Projects Officer Dr Johanna Mitchell. Advance Housing deliver affordable housing solutions and have plans to deliver more high-quality projects in the Great Southern. Advance Housing CEO John Lysaught and team, Albany Youth Support Association (AYSA), Anglicare, Pivot (who lead the network), City of Albany including Mayor Dennis Wellington, and philanthropic organisation Albany Community Foundation were represented.

Shelter WA was also able to visit AYSA’s Refuge and Youth Centre led by CEO Ian Clarke, with AYSA expanding their reach into the Great Southern, planning for future need as well as immediate, and working on the prospect of bringing the successful Youth Foyer model to Albany.

YOUTH BOARD MEMBER

ACF offers a Youth Board Member role each year. Please view the below link if you would like more information and may be interested in applying.

Click to DOWNLOAD YOUTH BOARD MEMBER ROLE information and the APPLICATION FORM and email or post it to us.

KENNY MCGONNELL REHAB BIKE

THE ACF SUCCESSFULLY ASSISTED IN RAISING FUNDS FOR REHAB BIKE FOR LOCAL LEGEND KENNY MCGONNELL IN 2017. HAVE A READ OF KENNY'S STORY BELOW AND HOW THE ACF WERE ABLE TO ASSIST.

The machine cost $26,000, and a good friend of Kenny's requested some assistance from the ACF to help raise these funds. The ACF created posters and many of his friends helped to raise money at the local football grand final, and the ACF announced that we would match the funds raised, dollar for dollar up to $5,000. This event sparked huge interest in Albany, and with the ACF and friends and family of Kenny's combined, we were able to raise the full $26,000 for the bike. The ACF contributed approximately $4,000, with the community donating the outstanding $22,000. This is a fantastic example of how the ACF can get involved with the community to help an individual, but also shows how amazing our local community is. 

MORE ABOUT KENNY'S STORY BELOW...

Kenny McGonnell is a 30 year old Albany man who until recently owned and ran a local building company. Kenny is also a keen sportsmen and was also involved in swimming, football, basketball, enduro, yoga, triathlons etc. Unfortunately on the 25th of May 2017, Kenny was injured in a motorbike accident while riding with friends on a property in Albany. He was transferred to Royal Perth Hospital spinal unit and then to Fiona Stanley Hospital to begin rehabilitation. Kenny had sustained injuries to the spinal cord at mid thoracic level (T6) resulting in being unable to feel anything from his chest down. Subsequently Kenny has become a paraplegic and is confined to a wheelchair. 

Kenny is an extremely positive person and has taken his rehabilitation to a level that has surprised his doctors, physios and occupational therapists to the point that they have had to try to slow him down rather than give him any further encouragement. While Kenny was at Fiona Stanley, he was especially impressed with a piece of equipment (RT300) that stimulates muscles through Functional Electrical Stimulation. This particular piece of equipment is in the form of a computerised recumbent bicycle where the wheelchair is wheeled up to the bike and the patients legs are strapped onto peddles. Electrical stimulation is then used to activate the muscles in the patient’s legs as if riding a bike. The equipment also has hand pedals for patients with different spinal injuries. Kenny believes that maintaining muscle movement and the flexibility to maintain muscle mass will give him the best possible conditioning to be able to walk again. There are only three of these machines in W.A. and that they are used for a variety of injuries and conditions, from spinal injuries to stroke victims and cerebral palsy sufferers.

IMPACT GRANT 2018

THE ACF DONATED A HUGE $18,000 TO AN ORGANISATION IN ALBANY THAT DEMONSTRATED THE PLAN TO CREATE A UNIQUE PROGRAM TO BENEFIT OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY.

The winner of the grant was the Great Southern Mental Health Network with a plan to establish a music therapy program for disadvantaged people in Albany to connect and learn in a musical based environment.

The Great Southern Mental Health Network received $18,000 to fund their Therapy through Music Programme – “Plug into Rhythm”. A programme designed to provide therapy to people who are isolated and suffering mental health issues by joining them together to learn music. The ACF looks forward to following this programme in 2018.