New grants available for older Canberrans

Organisations seeking to promote the well-being of older Canberrans are encouraged to apply for the latest round of Seniors Grants following an $80,000 investment by the ACT Government in the 2019-20 program.

Minister for Seniors, Gordon Ramsay, said the 2019-20 Seniors Grants Program provided a great opportunity for community organisations to put forward innovative projects that encourage older Canberrans to participate in new initiatives.

“Older Canberrans already play an active part in our local communities by leading some of our strongest community organisations and these grants will help ensure our older Canberrans are able to find more ways to contribute to the community,” Minister Ramsay said.

“Previous grants have been used to counter elder abuse through individual advocacy and community education; provided interactive and hands-on healthy eating workshops; and for the establishment of a community garden,” Minister Ramsay said.

The Seniors Garden Project at Ngunnawal Community Centre was previously provided with a Seniors Grant.

Centre Manager Hope McMahon said they wouldn’t have been able to start the garden without the investment from the ACT Government.

“It was a great opportunity to involve the seniors in a project that we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to,” Ms McMahon said.

“We’ve been able to involve people from various groups across the centre and bring together stories from cultural perspectives in terms of recipes and what they used to do when they were growing up.”

Applications close on Monday 2 September 2019 and community groups are encouraged to apply.

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