MAKING A REAL DIFFERENCE TO Macarthur

Through our ClubGRANTS fundraising and awareness initiatives, we are able to connect with and improve on the issues, challenges and opportunities in our region and offer support accordingly. Check out some of our wonderful highlights from 2022.

Joining The Fight Against Cancer

Wests Group Macarthur was pleased to support 24 Hour Fight against Cancer with $20,000 in ClubGRANT funding for the Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centre toward the comfort, support and services of those receiving Cancer treatment.

Through the funding, the Cancer Therapy centre was able to purchase equipment including three x CuroCell Area Zone pressure mattresses and six x SAF cushions for terminally ill patients and provide patients the choice of remaining in the safety and comfort of their own homes.

Wests also assisted in the purchase of electronic information boards for the centre to keep radiation patients aware of changes to treatment schedules, waiting times, health information advice and upcoming patient education forums.

CAMDEN WOMEN’S COOKING GROUP

Cancer Wellness centre helps to deliver complementary integrative therapies to patients undergoing Cancer Treatment. Wests was pleased to provide funding towards these services that make an enormous difference to patients including specialty oncology massage, acupuncture, and meditation to support patients, who have already been through so much through their clinical treatment regime.

Youth Solutions

Wests Group Macarthur prides itself on supporting programs that keep the community active and safe and were pleased to make a $5,000 commitment to support Youth Solutions’ DAIR (Drug and Alcohol Information and Resilience Skills) program in 2022.

The DAIR project is delivered as a series of workshops over several weeks, which aim to educate and develop skills to reduce drug and alcohol related harm. As well as providing drug and alcohol education and safety strategies, the project focuses on mental health and resilience aimed at developing positive coping and self-help seeking skills in young people.

We are also excited to be building a new project with Youth Solutions to provide drug and alcohol information and support to 12-17 year olds through community sports clubs. Stay tuned.

The Camden Digital Arts and Culture Center identified a need to create a safe space for women, especially aboriginal and immigrant women who were isolated, struggling or lacked support without family and friends around.

Wests, through the provision of supplies and ingredients, was happy to support the new Camden Women’s Cooking group that brings cultures together and connects women over food while also providing mental health training, workshops in mindfulness and wellbeing, information, advice and patient education forums.

Support For A Switched On Mens Shed

The Australian Men’s Shed Association is a national service provider supporting more than 1,200 Men’s, Women’s and Community Sheds and is recognised as one of Australia’s largest male-based community development organisations. When Men’s Shed Narellan reached out for some support to replace their electrical switchboard at their premises we were happy to help supporting their 80+ members to work in a safer environment.

Foster Care Angels

Foster Care Angels exists to support, empower and create opportunities for children and young people in the foster care system and their families and has expanded their support for all disadvantaged children. Wests was pleased to provide funding toward the provision of a Mental Health and Resilience Online Training and APP A Maze

In Mind to educate and empower young people in essential life skills, signs of mental illnesses, strategies on coping with mental health issues and enhancing resilience.

Mentoring Men

Wests and Mentoring Men joined forces to bring to life the Community Development Project which helps men who are experiencing distress or a sense of helplessness by providing free one to one mentoring with professionally trained mentors. The program focuses on proactive prevention by engaging with men who need help before they spiral into crisis.

During Men’s Health week in June 2022, we also got together to host a free mens BBQ breakfast with both Mentoring Men and Mates in Construction to encourage blokes to make social connections and conversations about mental health.

Clontarf Foundation

The Clontarf Foundation works to improve the education, discipline, life skills, self-esteem and employment prospects of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men in the community and we are proud to work locally with students from Airds High School and Elizabeth Macarthur High School through ClubGRANTS and other special events. Through a $5,000 ClubGRANT we were able to provide a brand new trailer to allow transportation of equipment for their valuable camping trips, sporting initiatives and supplies to support the academies.

Our Wests team also attended the South Coast OzTag Tournament in December to go head to head against their Clontarf All Stars in a game of Tag and got to meet some of the awesome youth that are part of the program.

Beyond The Badge

Wests was thrilled to once again help to bring to life the Beyond the Badge Career Transition program for First Responders. This program was delivered across a series of career transition workshops for members of the First Responder community including those who have sustained a physical injury or mental health related illness which has resulted in them having to look to alternative career opportunities.

The local Beyond the Badge program is delivered through corroborative funding from other clubs in the region including Campbelltown Catholic Club and Ingleburn RSL.

Taking Back Control

PCYC has a long history of supporting Youth in the community through specialist programs to help youth develop skills, character and leadership. Wests is proud to partner with Campbelltown PCYC on the Taking Back Control project for youth at risk, designed to empower them to take their lives back and get out of gangs. The program is designed to empower vulnerable youth through exercise, wellbeing and mentoring workshops and provide the tools and support they need to build better relationships, resilience and connections.

Dress For Success

Wests was pleased to fund a local Dress for Success program supporting 34 women across the Camden and Wollondilly region who have fallen into financial hardship and found it difficult to find work after challenging life circumstances.

Today A Reader Tomorrow A Leader

Through the ClubGRANT program, Wests was thrilled to provide funding to Narellan Public School toward the purchase of new Library books focusing on inclusivity, ability and cultural diversity for their school library. The books are intended to support children from a low socio economic category who may not have access to books in their homes and provide a mix of themes and topics that are closely related to the experiences of children from various cultural backgrounds and stories.

Headspace

Wests is committed to the future generation of adults in our region. We were pleased to work with Headspace to fund the ‘Make-Space’ program, an art and creative activities program for a positive impact on mental health and wellbeing for youth in campbelltown. This project aims to connect young people aged 12-25 years together in a safe space, connecting them with other youth and enabling them to try different creative modalities.

to support them back!

Driving Out Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence has a devastating impact on families, children, and communities. Not only is it the number one cause for homelessness in woman and children, on average, one woman a week is murdered by her current or former partner. This must stop.

Macarthur has some of the highest rates of Domestic Violence in NSW with over 1488 clients referred to the Macarthur Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service in the last year.

Wests Group Macarthur has prioritised a strong relationship with the local Domestic Violence committee for a united approach to tackling the challenges around funding, and delivery of services head on.

We are pleased to have supercharged our funding by over 200% and work closely with other local venues via the Campbelltown ClubGRANTS committee to fund a cross section of worthy projects and help to support the delivery of domestic violence related programs and services. Some of the projects in this space include:

Driving Out Violence

Convoy $5,000

Paws Pets at Risk Vet Care

$3,000

Macarthur Legal Centre

$5,000

Campbelltown DV Forum

$6,000

Campbelltown Women’s Coffee Club $6,000

Blue Wren House Waterproof Mattresses

$5,000

Escabags $3,000

Wren House Camden Women’s Shelter $20,000 living with a disability that offers unique Swim the Rainbow and Rainbow Squads programs. They offer a fun and safe community for children to have personalised swimming lessons catered to their needs and provide much needed social connections to families who provide the caregiving. Wests was really happy to support the purchase of swim school clothing to reduce the cost to families who use this service as well as support for their end of year social events.

When Carers Need Some Care

Disability Macarthur, amongst other amazing services operate the Sunflower Cottage in Mt Annan to provide weekend accommodation for children and adults 8-65 years with high support and medical needs so that caregivers can take time out to attend a special family event or simply relax and recharge. When they reached out for some upgrades to their security system for the safety and security of their patients at the cottages Wests was happy to help.

We look forward to further supporting Sunflower Cottage in 2023 with much needed maintenance support.