Message from Knox Community Bank Group

We want to start by acknowledging the work being done by many of our local sporting clubs and community groups.

Many groups in and around Ferntree Gully are doing it tough. With rates, ground maintenance, insurance, electricity, and water bills piling up quickly for clubs and community organisations, many are in a precarious position, especially in light of the recent Covid-19 crisis.

The volunteers running these local clubs and community groups are the backbone, and are doing a fantastic job under challenging conditions. We want to take this opportunity to thank every volunteer, whether you take the tongs at the canteen barbecue one weekend
a year or are the president of the Club. Your work is valued and we thank you!

We want to encourage everyone to please make an extra effort to reach out this week and thank the volunteers at your local clubs and community groups.

The Knox Community Bank Group Community Grants program is a highlight on our community calendar. It is the culmination of a lot of hard work by the Knox Community Bank Group team and our community partners alike. It is our way of saying thank you to all those volunteers and organisers working so hard in challenging circumstances.

This year we were able to give more than $49,700 to the local community through this wonderful Community Grants program.

When you choose to be a customer of either Ferntree Gully or Rowville Community Bank branches or the newly established Caribbean Park Business Centre (cashless) Branch, you benefit your community. This Community Grants Program is a great example of this.

You may not think it matters who you bank with. But that’s not the case. Just take a look at the community partners we were able to provide support to this year alone!

Grant Recipients 2020

• Foothills Community Care received a grant to produce meals for the homeless and socially disadvantaged.
• Peace and Loyalty Freemasons Lodge received a grant to fund scholarships at Fairhills High School.
• Knox Woodworkers received a grant to fund the production of wooden Christmas toys.
• Knox Remembrance Day received a grant to help fund the event.
• Ferntree Gully Girl Guides received a grant to purchase fans for their hall.
• Liberty Avenue 3 Year Old Kinder received a grant to fund the purchase of waterproof matting & outdoor furniture.
• The Basin Music Festival received a grant to fund the Basin Youth Stage Summer Concert and  the Basin Music Festival.
• The Gully Men’s Shed received a grant to concrete the floor of the Men’s Shed in Ferntree Gully.
• The Links at Waterford Residents Association received a grant to build chairs, tables & mobile stools for the Cerebral Palsy Education Centre.
• Ferntree Gully Football and Netball Club received a grant to purchase a DeFib machine for the women’s rooms at the Club.
• Bena Angliss Kindergarten received a grant to fund equipment for indoor and outdoor play spaces.
• Waterford Park Men’s Shed received a grant to fund the purchase of materials to be used to produce toys for the Royal Children’s Hospital.
• Knox Environment Society received a grant to fund the purchase of an indoor/outdoor PA system.
• Saint Paul’s Anglican Church Boronia received a grant to purchase of a large freezer to hold pre-prepared meals for the needy.
• The Fields Pre-School Rowville received a grant to build a vegetable and butterfly garden at the pre-school.
• Coonara Community House received a grant enabling them to publish their ‘150th Year Anniversary’ book.
• Boronia and The Basin Community News received a grant to support the publication of their monthly newspaper.
• Regency Calisthenics College received a grant to fund the purchase of rod covers.
• Knox United Soccer Club received a grant to purchase new aluminum goals for use by the Club.
• Ferntree Gully Village Traders received a grant to support the publication of the local newspaper.
• Ferntree Gully News received a grant to fund costs associated with printing and distributing the paper.
• Knox and District Toy Library received a grant to run the ‘Saturday borrowing sessions’ program.
• Mountain Gate Tennis Club received a grant to fund landscaping around their clubroom.
• Upper Ferntree Gully Football Club received a grant to fund the purchase of portable marquees to be used by the Club.
• Rowville Lions Club received a grant to  purchase an ipad, laptop, camera and printer.
• Knox Italian Community Club Rowville received a grant to purchase a new glass washer at the Club.

That’s more than $49,700 given back to our local community in 2020 alone!

For those of you that use Facebook please visit the Knox Community Bank Group page as we will be posting about each community grant recipient over the coming months.