TWIN TOWNS DONATES $200,000 TO RURAL AID FOR FLOOD AND DROUGHT AFFECTED COMMUNITIES IN QLD AND NSW
“Twin Towns is a big Club, we can help these people!”
It was a sentiment shared by every Director in the Twin Towns boardroom when they met to discuss the two crises simultaneously affecting the lives and livelihoods of rural communities in Queensland and New South Wales: flood and drought.
A unanimous decision was made by the Board that a donation of $200,000 would be made to Rural Aid on behalf of Twin Towns members.
The donation comprises $100,000 from Twin Towns philanthropic association, The Twin Towns Services Community Foundation and $100,000 directly from Twinnies Gives (Twin Towns), bypassing time constraints and limitations of the NSW ClubGRANTS scheme.
The donation will help Rural Aid continue their ongoing support of flood affected communities in Central and Western QLD and drought affected communities in Southern NSW.
The Board believes wholeheartedly that this donation will meet members’ values and expectations of their Club, and its responsibility to support communities in need on both sides of the border.
“We are making this donation on behalf of Twin Towns 60,000 members, who predominantly live in Queensland and New South Wales,” said Board Chair Brian Brown.
“If it wasn’t for our members, the backbone of our Club, we wouldn’t be in a position to make that call to Rural Aid.”
CEO of Rural Aid John Warlters said there was great excitement amongst his team when they heard about ‘that call’ from Twin Towns.
“I now know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of a call from lotto!
“My phone rang when I was on the road to South West Queensland, where we continue to support farmers and families impacted by the catastrophic flood. It was amazing timing!
“We don’t get large amounts of money like this very often but when we do, they are incredibly impactful.”
Mr Warlters said Twin Towns’ donation will help fund a range of assistance, including mental health and wellbeing support.
“The mental health of farmers, many of whom have been placed under enormous stress, is critically important, especially when dealing with big emotional events that affect their families, their finances and their futures.
“Rural Aid’s role isn’t just about providing much needed resources like fodder and fuel; we send ‘convoys of hope’, in whatever form that takes.
“A little bit of hope goes a long way, especially at a time when it is easy for people to be overwhelmed by the challenges they have in front of them.
“It is going to take months and months – years even – for people to fully recover,” Mr Warlters said.
In the last financial year, Twin Towns donated over $1.65 million to a broad range of community organisations, consistently exceeding its requirements through the NSW ClubGRANTS scheme.
Additionally, the Club has helped even more people and organisations through the Twin Towns Services Community Foundation.
They will continue to provide financial assistance when and where it is needed most.
