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The 29-member Brimbank Rotary Club has found a way to harness local ethnic groups to raise funds for projects in their country of origin. For the past four years it has organized a ball for fundraising for clean water projects in the Philippines, and the large Filipino community in west and north Melbourne give it big support.
“Local Filipinos are aware that every cent we raise is spent in the Philippines,” says the club’s Past President Bert Mom.
Last March (2014) the “Fresh Water Ball” at Grand Star Receptions at Altona North raised more than $13,000 and a Foundation matching grant added another $7000 for the Philippines project.About 380 came to the ball. The $65 tickets included meal and drinks. Bert Mom has good contacts in the community as his wife Angie came from the Philippines. Member Lou Gionfriddo’s wife Nonie is also Filipina.
Next May (2015) the club is planning a similar ball with Vietnamese participation and fundraising for a Viet medical project. This time the club will use connections of member and dentist Mike Nguyen, who has Vietnamese origin.
The first Philippines project was in Kalibo, Aclan, with R.C. Kalibo, supplying medical and rehabilitation equipment to help handicapped people, mainly children. The second project was with R.C. Metro Surigao in Surigao del Norte on Mindanao. This brought water down from the mountains through a main reservoir, then piped it into a purifying intake tank and then into tanks in the local school and village. The project involved a $12,000 contribution with a $6000 matching grant. The third project was with R.C. Metro Clark supplying fresh water to five schools in Pampanga, using pumps to bring water up to filtration units into stainless steel holding tanks.
The project this year is in Iloilo with R.C. Metro Iloilo. This is to bring freshwater to Barangays Lanit and Camilig through the use of Skyhydrants, an efficient mechanical process. The cost is about $21,000 with a $7000 matching grant.
Bert Mom says, “With Rotary Clubs of E. Keilor, Tullamarine and Essendon North and numerous donations, we have able to send a container of clothing and other goods, as well as cash, to feed the people of Iloilo after the devastating Typhoon Yolanda. We are rebuilding the local fishing fleet as this is virtually their sole source of income.”
Another innovative fund-raiser for the club was its Community Festival last April all day at Brimbank Central Shopping Centre. The club contracted with a fun-fair provider and added singing competitions, entertainers and sponsors. The fun-fair provider carried the commercial risk. The fun fair was too big for the club to manage single-handed, and it got help from the Baptist Church, Sydenham in exchange for a donation to the church’s Food Bank. The church provided many of the 40 volunteer workers needed on the day. The club achieved about $25,000 of commercial, government and community sponsorships which defrayed the heavy expenses of electrical supply, rubbish, and transport. The club raised nearly $6000 net and promoted Rotary to the local community.
Other projects are a monthly Bunnings sausage sizzle ($12,000 a year) and a Golf Day at Sunshine Course, which raises $13,000.
All up, Brimbank RC raises about $30,000 a year for charity.
Tony was speaker on “Global Warming - A Skeptic Viewpoint to Brimbank RC on July 30.
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