Buderim Foundation Helps Turn on the Lights - 15 August , 2009

The Suncoasters Square Dance Club is now all lit up – thanks, in part, to a grant from the Buderim Foundation.

The club’s centre, in Dixon Road, has a new $30,000 carpark, built with the help of the Sunshine Coast Regional Council as well as fundraising by the dance club. A grant of $4,752 from the Buderim Foundation helped pay for lighting it and the pedestrian link with the club building.

The grant was one of the first three made last year by the Buderim Foundation which was set up to build a large fund from public donations, the income from which would be made by way of grants for local projects.

The club’s centre provides physical, social, educational and recreational activity through dance and related genre for the people of Buderim. Club members dance to the rhythms of Square, Round, Clog, New Vogue, Old-time, Line and Latin dances as well as providing aerobics, sport aerobics, fitness, yoga, and meditation programmes for all ages.

The new carpark became necessary to replace the old one on the opposite side of Dixon Road which has become a busy road with its newly completed link with the Sunshine Motorway. The carpark will provide safe, off-street parking and safe access without crossing a busy road.

The Sunshine Coast Regional Council began work on building the new carpark in June last year and it was finished with bitumen and line marking in August.

The dance club was responsible for finishing the carpark and providing security and lighting.

Voluntary working bees progressively worked on the landscaping, fencing and concrete pathways which were completed in February this year when extra parking areas were also completed to cater for functions needing more than the 40 bitumen car parks.

Without lighting, the carpark would not be safe after dark. Lighting was completed with a combination of professional contractors and volunteers last November.

Buderim Foundation chairman Gary Hopkins said the Foundation welcomed the opportunity to contribute to such a project which benefitted so many in the Buderim community.

He said the Foundation was building a healthy fund to generate income to be given as grants for other worthwhile community projects.

“We are relying on the generosity of Buderim residents for donations toward the funds which will be preserved and only the income used to make grants.”