Sunnykids Buderim Foundation

The Buderim Foundation Thompson Charitable Fund provides a $65,800 grant to support vulnerable Sunshine Coast families

The Buderim Foundation Thompson Charitable Fund is proud to provide a $65,800 grant to SunnyKids to help provide support for vulnerable Sunshine Coast families.

Buderim Foundation’s Charlie Morris, SunnyKids CEO Kathleen Hope and Buderim Foundation Chair Rod McKinnon -photo-by-Ross-Eason

Buderim Foundation chair Rod McKinnon said SunnyKids provides vital support for Sunshine Coast families in need of a helping hand on the Sunshine Coast.

“The Buderim Foundation’s Thompson Charitable Fund is proud to support SunnyKids and the work they do in providing emergency food, accommodation and other support,” Rod McKinnon said.

SunnyKids CEO Kathleen Hope said SunnyKids provides connections and support for vulnerable Sunshine Coast families focusing on providing complex case management, including long-term capacity-building and emotional support.

“We seek to assist families and individuals in some of the worst situations imaginable. Families arrive at SunnyKids hoping to access clothing, medicine, food or things like car registration which in turn allows them to focus less on transportation and more time on other vital family needs like getting the kids to school, doctors’ appointments, and getting to and from work,” Ms Hope said.

Buderim FoundationThompson Fund Gateway Care Grant

The Buderim Foundation Thompson Charitable Fund provides $100,000 grant for vital food relief for Coast families in crisis

The Buderim Foundation Thompson Charitable Fund is proud to provide a $100,000 grant to Gateway Care Food Centre to support their Food Rescue Program.

Buderim Foundation Thompson Charitable Fund donation to Gateway Care Food Centre – Tom Lew and Lani Rafiti from Gateway Care receive cheque from Buderim Foundation’s Rod McKinnon and Rebecca Ramsay – photo by Ross Eason

Buderim Foundation chair Rod McKinnon said Gateway Care Food Centre plays a vital role in providing emergency food relief to families in crisis and those experiencing financial hardship on the Sunshine Coast.

“The Buderim Foundation’s Thompson Charitable Fund is proud to support the Gateway Care Food Centre and their Food Rescue Program,” Rod McKinnon said.

Gateway Care Chair Lani Refiti said the Gateway Care Food Centre is a non-denominational community organisation run entirely by volunteers.

“It currently spends approximately $15,000 per week on food items, ensuring that families in need have access to vital nourishment, and over 50% of these purchases are freely delivered to Sunshine Coast families experiencing financial difficulties.

The 2022 BF Grant Recipients

Grants of up to $10,000 available to local community organisations thanks to Buderim Foundation

The Buderim Foundation is opening applications for its annual Community Grants Program for 2023, with grants of up to $10,000 available for local organisations with initiatives that make a positive impact on the local Buderim community.

The 2022 Buderim Foundation Grant Recipients

Applications open on Monday, 8th May to organisations serving the local 4556 community, and eligible applicants will need to apply online before Monday 19th June.

Buderim Foundation Grants Committee chair Rebecca Ramsay said the application process was easily completed online and successful applicants will be announced at the Foundation’s 2023 annual Community Grants Celebration on Sunday 10th September.

“The projects need to directly benefit residents within the 4556-postcode area with a diverse range of areas of interest from protecting our natural environment to supporting youth in our community,” Mrs Ramsay said.

Guest speaker at Buderim Foundation breakfast Scott Foote 1

Deep Sea Adventure Diver to speak at Buderim Foundation breakfast

Deep sea diver and adventurer Scott Foote will be the special guest speaker at the next Buderim Foundation breakfast on Wednesday 29th March.

Mr Foote has lived a life of adventure, having travelled to over 74 countries throughout his life and will share just some of his extraordinary experiences.

Born in Mitchell before moving to Brisbane, Scott set off overseas with a backpack, aged 24, for 6 months and was gone for 21 years.

For 16 years, he worked in a very hostile environment as a Saturation Diver, living in a hyperbaric chamber for 28 days at a time, in seas and oceans around the world.

Buderim Foundation chair Rod McKinnon said Mr Foote’s presentation would give the audience a look beneath the oceans’ surface.

“Even recreational divers will be amazed by some of the environments that Scott has worked in and what he has done during his career,” Mr McKinnon said.

Buderim FoundationOPO Launch

BWMCA & Buderim Foundation come together to celebrate Buderim Community Spirit

Two central community organisations, the Buderim War Memorial Community Association (BWMCA) and the Buderim Foundation have come together to celebrate Buderim’s unique community spirit.

Motivated by the Buderim Foundation moving its office into the home of the BWMCA, the Old Post Office Information Centre at the centre of town, the organisations decided it was the perfect opportunity to celebrate the Buderim Community Spirit and help locals to get involved in their local community.

BWMCA President Errol Richardson said with the recent influx of people to the local area, it is a great time for both organisations to highlight the many ways people can get involved in the community.

“In Buderim we have a unique and special community, largely because of the way so many people choose to get involved in the many opportunities and events on offer.

Buderim Foundation Chair Rod McKinnon said the coming together of the two organisations under one roof is a powerful way to raise their profile right in the heart of Buderim.

“As part of this important campaign, we have had two videos produced to showcase Buderim’s unique community spirit and to point to ways people can become involved,” Mr McKinnon said.

Buderim FoundationDrovers dinner

Buderim Foundation Drovers Evening brings touch of the Outback

A touch of the outback came to the Sunshine Coast on Friday, with a sold-out crowd of 200 listening spellbound to the stories of original Aussie Drover, and former NT Government Minister Roger Steele.

Roger Steele tells of his outback experiences at the Buderim Foundation
Drovers Dinner. Photo by Ross Eason

Honourable Roger Steele, OAM, shared fascinating tales of his droving days in the Northern Territory and Queensland. He started work at Humbert River Station as a 13 year old and spent 17 years in the cattle industry in various jobs, from ringer, camp cook, stockman and station manager.

He shared tales of the challenges of mustering sometimes thousands of cattle through harsh terrain, dealing with a cattle rush, the role of horses and the value of Aboriginal stockmen. He went on to manage a life insurance company, to represent Territorians as a member of the NT Parliament, to manage the NT Expo in Brisbane and to take on the role of CEO of the Stockmans’ Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre in Longreach, and said he considered his time in the outback as the most memorable and fulfilling of his life.

DROVER-SMALL

Aussie outback icon to speak at special Buderim Foundation evening

An original Aussie drover Roger Steele will be telling stories from his extraordinary years in the outback at a special Buderim Foundation evening on Friday 3rd February.

Mr Steele, who began work as a 13-year-old on a Northern Territory cattle property and spent 17-years in the pastoral outback working his way up from ringer, drover, camp cook, and head stockman to station manager before becoming a Northern Territory Government Minister and Assistant Commissioner for World Expo ’88, has had an incredible life.

Buderim Foundation chair Rod McKinnon said it was not a surprise that with such an interesting working life, Roger has some incredible tales to tell.

“Whether outback life is completely different to your own experience or whether you have some fond memories of your own, Roger will paint a picture of outback life including the challenges of droving cattle for thousands of kilometres in often hazardous conditions, so we can’t wait for our Drover’s evening,” Rod McKinnon said.

BWMCA Christmas Carols 2021

Buderim Community Carols bringing the region together for Christmas

Buderim Community Carols heralds the beginning of Christmas celebrations and this year’s event on Sunday 11th December is set to be better than ever.

BWMCA Carols organiser Andrew Butterworth said last year’s event attracted more than 3,000 people with families coming from across the Coast to celebrate together.

“This year’s entertainment is once again directed by local entertainment professional Riley Cope, and we are delighted that 7News Sunshine Coast’s Rosanna Natoli is once again joining us as MC.

“The evening will be full of opportunities to singalong with performances from the Buderim Mountain State School Choir, Sunshine Coast Youth Orchestra, Buderim Youth Theatre and the Elite Dance Institute,” Mr Butterworth said.

LEONIE SQUARE

Peacekeeper and mine activist to present at special breakfast

Peacekeeper, ammunitions expert, martial artist, musician and one of the first-ever female graduates of Australia’s Royal Military College, Duntroon, Leonie Barnes will be the special guest speaker at a Buderim Foundation Breakfast in October.

Buderim Foundation Chair Dr Russell Stitz said Leonie’s presentation on her life stories, her values and philosophies was sure to be fascinating, with a lively Q&A session to follow the presentation.

Leonie, who is also the daughter of a crocodile shooter and has been a specialist Ammunition Technical Officer since the age of 22, will be presenting “M.I.N.E.D the Gap – if life is a minefield, what happens when real deminers do life?”.

The 2022 BF Grant Recipients

Buderim Foundation awards almost $60,000 in Community Grants

The Buderim Foundation is today awarding almost $60,000 in grants to be shared by 14 community-based organisations, as part of its annual Community Grants Celebration.

The Buderim Foundation 2022 Grant recipients – photo by Cheryl Nonmus

Buderim Foundation Grants Committee Chair, Rebecca Ramsay said the Foundation was delighted to once again provide support to community organisations supporting the 4556 postcode area.

“The grants come from earnings made from the Foundation’s investment fund, so it is thanks to everyone’s donations and the hard work of our Investment Committee, that we are able to deliver the much-needed funding,” Rebecca said.

“This year we will be awarding 14 Community Grants with a total value of $59879.54.”

The special Grants Celebration will be held on Saturday 10th September at the Buderim War Memorial Hall and is a Covid-Safe event.

“The Buderim Foundation concept is simple and has three key components.  Money in, where donations and bequests are received, money managed, where these funds are carefully invested and then money out, with the income from the investments distributed as grants to organisations supporting the 4556 community,” Rebecca said.

This year is the 15th year grants have been distributed. Since 2008, a total of $731,826 has been distributed to 90 community organisations supporting the 4556 postcode area.

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