Mumbulla Foundation's credo is to "Give Where You Live".
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That is never more evident than at its annual grant presentation, which took place on Wednesday afternoon at Bega's Wollongong University campus.
Seventeen Bega Valley charitable and not-for-profit groups received varying amounts from a total funding pool of $51,941 this year.
They included everything from purchasing new window blinds for the Burragate Rural Fire Service shed, to supporting a cultural exchange program linking Indigenous Australian communities at opposite ends of the shire through dance workshops.
Since its formation in 2000, the Mumbulla Foundation has awarded more than $1.2million in grants both large and small to community groups across the region.
The Foundation's major partner is the Bega Valley Shire Council, which commits $25,000 each year towards the grants program and another $5000 towards running costs of the entirely volunteer-run organisation.
Mumbulla Foundation is tasked with matching that contribution through generous donations.
However, current chairman Michael Pryke said its future beyond 2020 could be in doubt.
He said the Foundation is finding it increasingly harder to source the up to $35,000 a year required "to continue helping you".
While blown away by the level of volunteering in this shire, he called on grant recipients to help spread the word of the Foundation's objectives and efforts in order to boost its profile in the wider community, and therefore its potential to source additional benefactors.
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"I am truly surprised how few of our fellow citizens know about the Mumbulla Foundation and the work we do," he said.
"I would ask you all to become passionate ambassadors of the Mumbulla Foundation, sharing stories about the difference we try to make to our community."
Many of the stories behind the current grants will be told in coming days through these pages. Stay tuned.
For now, the recipients are listed below, in no particular order:
Eden Game Development Centre; auspiced by Eden Community Access Centre - Additional technologies to enhance game development and youth engagement
Merrimans LALC and Australian Red Cross - Empowering Ngaadi Daughters Project
Bega Littleton Sister City Exchange - Production of eBooks, scanning of existing hard copy documents
Burragate Rural FS - Blinds
Lumen Christi College - Plastic recycling equipment
Bega Valley Genealogy - Computer hard drives for heritage collection
Cobargo School of Arts - PA System
Pambula Wetlands & Heritage Project - Water tank for rain water capture
Funhouse; auspiced by South East Arts - Support KUNDA recording project
Tathra Public School P&C - Year 6 Leadership Camp
Eden Access Centre - Upgrade Computers for staff and community use
Teen Clinic - Business Development & Training Software
Bega Valley Public School - Play Space
Playability Inc - "Brains = Behaviours" Workshop
Merriman's LALC - Djurwali-ngai cultural exchange program
Writers of the Far South Coast - Book Publishing "When I was your age..."
South East Arts (NSW) - "Marketing Your Museum"