CBD News - Rotary Central Melbourne Sleeping Bags for the Homeless article
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NEXT MEETING
Rotary Central Melbourne meets at the RACV Club on the first and third Tuesdays of each month.
If you would like to visit our meeting, you are welcome to join us at the Theatrette, Chancery Level of the RACV Club. There is no charge for attending the meeting.
If you would like a more general discussion about attending a Rotary meeting, please contact the club secretary at rotaryclubcentralmelbourne@gmail.com
The meeting will commence at 7:40 am and conclude no later than 8:30. Members and guests are invited to stay for coffee or breakfast in the RACV Club Bistro following the meeting.
Through lived experience, Shane Jay shares how one decision in a high-pressure moment can change lives forever. His talk opens up honest conversation around choices, consequences, resilience, and the ripple effects our actions can have on families, friends, and the wider community.
Shane is the founder of Safe Roads For Us, based on his lived experience, he speaks around the topics of road safety and resilience initiative that speaks to young people, parents, community groups, sporting clubs, and organisations across Victoria. Through his personal story, Shane shares the reality of how one moment and one choice can change lives forever, while also highlighting the importance of responsibility, resilience, and rebuilding after adversity.
Shane’s work is focused on creating honest, real conversations that connect with people on a human level. He has delivered sessions across schools, clubs, community groups, universities (Deakin), and workplaces (JB Hi-Fi and Life Saving Victoria), with the aim of helping people think more deeply about pressure, choices, and the impact they can have on others.
There are moments when we’re reminded of the very best of humanity. This is one of them...
On Saturday 29 August 2026, we gather for the Victorian Rotary Emergency Services Community Awards (Vic RESCA). An evening of recognition and celebration for those who quietly, courageously, and selflessly serve our communities every single day. These awards honour the outstanding service of both volunteer and paid members across Victoria’s emergency services. The people who step forward when others step back, and who make our communities safer, stronger, and more connected. I love what this evening represents. Not just recognition, but gratitude in action. A chance for all of us - colleagues, friends, families, and supporters - to come together and say: we see you, and we thank you. Let’s fill the room with appreciation, connection, and pride. Let’s celebrate the people who show us what’s possible. Join us for an unforgettable evening and be part of something that truly matters. Tickets are available now. For further information, please don’t hesitate to contact Kerrie Hicks or Neville Taylor.
Rotary delivers winter warmth to people sleeping rough
During the month of June, Rohan and I wrote to RCM member Sean Car, who is owner of Hyperlocal, a business that produces monthly community publications in the CDB and the North, South, East and West inner suburban communities. We asked Sean if he would be prepared to run a pro-bono article that we drafted involving the work we had done in supporting the homeless community in the Melbourne CBD and inner North. Sean confirmed that he would be happy to do run that in the July Edition of ‘CBD News’.
The Story -
Rotary Central Melbourne has delivered 228 winter-grade sleeping bags to help people experiencing homelessness stay warmer and safer during the colder months. The club once again partnered with two frontline homelessness support organisations, Youth Projects in Melbourne’s CBD and St Mary’s House of Welcome in Fitzroy, to distribute the sleeping bags to people sleeping rough across the city and inner north.
Both organisations provide a wide range of services to people experiencing home-lessness, including those sleeping rough in the CBD, Fitzroy and Collingwood. As temperatures fall and demand for support continues to rise, access to warm, good-quality sleeping bags becomes increasingly important for people without secure shelter.
Rotary Central Melbourne initially set a goal of collecting and distributing at least 170 winter-grade sleeping bags before winter. Funding was raised through the generosity of Rotary members, their families, friends and corporate supporters. These contributions were then matched dollar-for-dollar through a Rotary Foundation grant, allowing the club to significantly increase the impact of its fundraising.
The Rotary Foundation’s grant program enables donations raised by Rotary clubs to be reinvested into eligible community and humanitarian projects, helping local clubs multiply the value of their work. Thanks to the support received, Rotary Central Melbourne exceeded its target, collecting and distributing 228 sleeping bags.
For Rotary members, each sleeping bag represents practical help for someone facing winter without a safe place to sleep. Rotary Central Melbourne is one of several Rotary clubs serving Melbourne’s CBD and inner suburbs. Its volunteers contribute their time, skills and resources to strengthen local communities and support people in need, both locally and around the world.
