The third annual Lunch En Blanc is coming up on Sunday 13^th October, with the promise of another afternoon of fine food and entertainment inspired by the global phenomenon.

The Spring Lunch En Blanc, to be held on the deck Bloomhill Cancer Help, amid its beautiful gardens, is the perfect opportunity to celebrate with friends, and to raise funds that go to supporting the Foundation’s philanthropic activities.

Inspired by the original Parisian chic picnic, Lunch En Blanc is now a worldwide event in which people dressed in white gather in a public space and set up a temporary, chic dining area to share food and comradery.

Locally, it is a chance to dress (fearlessly!) in all white and assemble your own bountiful picnic basket to share with others amid a splendid setting of long white tables.

The result is a fun, glamorous moveable feast that Foundation Event Committee Chair Lloyd Edwards describes as the ultimate long lunch with everyone bringing their own picnic.

“We have had two sell out events so Lunch En Blanc has fast become one of the most anticipated dates in the Buderim Foundation’s social calendar,” Mr Edwards said.

“It’s really an event not to be missed and it raises important funds for the Foundation.”

The ticket price includes entertainment, a live auction and raffle prizes, as well as access to a cash bar. BYO is also encouraged.

Numbers are limited to 80 people only, so don’t leave it too long before booking a table.

Book early to avoid disappointment – tickets are $45 pp and with places limited, this event will sell out. You can book at https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/lunch-en-blanc-tickets-71877735241

For further details and to RSVP contact:
Sally Caddy on 0418 134 975 or info@buderimfoundation.org.au

EVENT DETAILS:

DATE:           Sunday 13^th October 2018

TIME:         Midday – 3pm

VENUE:      Bloomhill Cancer Help, 158 Ballinder Road Buderim

COST: $45 per person

DRESS CODE: White

BYO: Picnic lunch, share platters and drinks (cash bar available)

The Buderim Foundation awarded a record amount of $82,485 to be shared by 19 community-based organisations today, as part of its biggest ever Community Grants Celebration.

During a lively spring afternoon in the garden between the Buderim Memorial Hall and Craft Cottage filled with community spirit, the popular philanthropy group announced the grants to the community organisations which provide services and support for residents in the 4556 post code.

Buderim Foundation Grant Committee Chair, Rebecca Ramsay said the event is the most important day on the Foundation’s calendar and continues to grow each year.

“This year that is particularly important because our theme is Growing our Community. To celebrate this, everyone attending has had the opportunity to plant their own seedling so they can take it home to water and nurture and be rewarded when their plant grows.

“This is much like the concept for the Buderim Foundation where donations and bequests are received – money in, then carefully invested – money managed, with the income from the investments then distributed as grants to organisations supporting the 4556 community – money out,” Rebecca said.

This year is the 12^th year grants have been distributed, with 159 grants worth $541,928 awarded to almost 100 community organisations supporting the 4556 post code area since 2008.

“These funds will make a big difference to the lives of many in our community by funding various programs, enabling the purchase of much-needed and in some cases life-saving equipment or financing vital upgrades to infrastructure.”

Some of this year’s recipients include $10,000 to Fusion Sunshine Coast for their mobile youth drop-in hub, $6,050 to the Compass Institute for a new outdoor dining and recreation area at their farm as well as $9,349 to Buderim Guides to repair stairs and purchase camping equipment.

Funding awarded this year will go towards a range of different projects including painting, repairs, renovation, fencing and security for community buildings and facilities, equipment from communications heads sets through to an automated external defibrillator, sheet music, a generator, camping equipment and more.

The Buderim Foundation Grants Program is open to not-for-profit community-based organisations that provide services and support for residents in the 4556 postcode.

Grants are awarded to projects relating to eight areas of interest including those which seek to strengthen the fabric of the community, help residents live healthy and fulfilling lives and protect and preserve our natural environment.

The Buderim Foundation consider the Community Grants Celebration the most important day on the Foundations calendar and this year provided complimentary seeds to plant and take home and a free sausage sizzle.

FULL LIST OF 2019 BUDERIM FOUNDATION COMMUNITY GRANT RECIPIENTS:

Australian Volunteer Coast Guard Assoc Inc – QF6 Mooloolaba – $ 2,760 for an automated external defibrillator

Buderim Amateur Theatre Company Inc (BATS) – $ 2,120 for headsets to improve communications

Buderim Craft Cottage Association Inc – $ 3,000 for renovation of main workroom kitchen

Buderim Cricket Club – $ 1,252 for clubhouse painting

Buderim Guides – $ 9,349 to repair stairs and to purchase camping equipment

Buderim Kindergarten – $ 1,525 for a new refrigerator

Buderim Men’s Shed – $ 4,300 for security systems

Buderim Pony Club – $ 2,000 to replace perimeter fences

Buderim Uniting Church – $ 1,000 for outdoor play equipment

Connect Community Plus Kids Inc – $ 9,000 for a software program to assist mentoring

Fusion Australia Sunshine Coast – $ 10,000 for a mobile youth drop-in hub

Headland Buderim Croquet Club – $ 4,685 for kitchen modifications and renovation

LifeFlight Foundation – $ 8,872 for a generator for use during power outages

Maroochydore State Emergency Service – $ 1,200 for a ladder loader to move equipment on response vehicles

Oriana Arts Inc – $ 750 for sheet music of Australian Bush Songs

Sunshine Coast Archery Club Inc – $ 3,000 for an electrical upgrade to the hall

Sunshine FM Radio Association Incorporated – $ 7,604 for a technology upgrade

The Compass Institute – $ 6,050 for a new outdoor dining and recreation area at their farm

Wishlist – Sunshine Coast Health Foundation – $ 4,000 for BreastScreen Queensland lighting and sensory distraction suites

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

Buderim Foundation will soon be opening their 2019 Grants Programs for applications, with up to $10,000 each available to community organisations serving the local 4556 community.
Applications open on Monday 10th June, and eligible applicants will need to apply online before Sunday, 21st July. Successful applicants will be announced at the Foundation’s 2019 annual community grants celebration on Saturday afternoon, September 14th.
The Buderim Foundations Grant application program attracted a lot of interest last year, and $75,605 in grants was awarded taking the total amount distributed over 11 years to over $480,000. Just some of the projects that were awarded grants last years included:
• $9,928 to Buderim Scouts for repairs and maintenance to the Buderim Scout Den
• $8,000 to The Compass Institute for a Beach Safety and Awareness Program
• $7,957 to Buderim-Palmwoods Heritage Tramway for the design and printing of the book Timber – Trains – Turmoil
• $3000 to the Carers Foundation for the provision of health renewal programs for unpaid family carers
• $675 to Story Dogs for the purchase of 45 new children’s picture books

Foundation Grants Committee chair, Rebecca Ramsay said this year the Foundation was aiming to exceed the grants awarded in 2018.

“Supporting our community is about more growth = more grants = more smiles!”, Ms Ramsay said.

“By investing in organisations serving the Buderim and 4556 community, we strive to support, protect and encourage great purposes such as assisting people to live healthy and fulfilling lives, encouraging cultural endeavours, increasing learning opportunities, protecting and preserving our natural environment and supporting youth in our community.”

The Buderim Foundation is a philanthropic organisation who harnesses the power of giving by generating income from donations and bequests and providing grants for worthwhile community projects.

To find out more about the Buderim Foundation, why people give and some of the great community benefits from the grants program check out our new video, produced pro-bono for the Foundation by Buderim PR & video company Reflected Image PRoductions, with assistance from Sunshine Coast Council.
You can view the video at buderimfoundation.org.au or visit our Facebook page – @TheBuderimFoundation.

To find out more and apply for this year’s Grants Program visit http://www.buderimfoundation.org.au/grants/how-to-apply/ to see if your organisation is eligible and to download the Grant Application Guide. Grant applications need to be submitted online by Sunday 21st July.

With the 2019 school year now underway, the Buderim Foundation Youth Committee launched its third annual Youth in Philanthropy Project on Friday 15^th February at the University of the Sunshine Coast.

Buderim Foundation Youth Committee Chair Graham Tamblyn said the afternoon workshop was a leadership program aiming to introduce the concept of philanthropy and its value to young people, in order to inspire them to adopt it throughout their lives.

“Philanthropy is vitally important to a thriving society and by talking to student leaders, we hoped to encourage long-term, and even life-long involvement in the community,” Mr Tamblyn said.

“Students from four local schools participated in the Youth in Philanthropy Project this year, where they learnt more about the concept and the power giving can have in a very practical way,”

“Each school group was asked to come up with an idea for a philanthropic project of their choice before starting work on an action plan which they took back to their school.

“We then encouraged these groups to apply for one of the Buderim Foundation’s Starter Youth Grants of up to $150 to support the successful implementation of their project.

“It’s really a very practical, and exciting introduction to philanthropy and is a real thrill for students to see their ideas in action.”

Mathew Flinders Anglican College Head of Senior School Gary Davis said the Youth in Philanthropy Project is also a great way to connect student leaders from schools in the 4556 post code with leaders from community groups and charitable organisations.

“The Project was a huge success last year, with students from four local schools conceiving, planning and successfully completing a diverse range of projects which all gave back to the local and wider community,” Mr Davis said.

“Some visited local aged care facilities to install floral displays made from native trees in their school grounds or helped assemble care kits for Team Adem, while others delivered sportswear to a remote Far North Queensland Indigenous community or travelled to Cambodia to work with a sister school.’

“We can’t wait to see what students from Mathew Flinders Anglican College, Sunshine Coast Grammar School, Immanuel Lutheran College, Montessori and Chancellor State College come up with this year.”

Mr Tamblyn said the students have four months from the date of the workshop to deliver on their project, before sharing details of its implementation and impact at the Buderim Foundation’s Community Grants Celebration later in the year.

The 2019 Youth in Philanthropy Project program includes talks on the value of volunteering, and philanthropy in action, as well as workshops on how to start an action plan and the grant application process.

The Chair of the Buderim Foundation, Dr Russell Stitz was in attendance to outline the goals and structure of the Buderim Foundation, which is recognised as one of the top four regional Philanthropic Community Foundations in Australia.

Mr Stitz  emphasized that Foundation’s commitment to supporting the community into the future, building its corpus or capital base so that money earned from the investments will provide ever-increasing grants to community groups.

“As part of that, we have established a Youth Sub-fund, which is focused on providing grants specifically for programs benefiting our young people,” Mr Stitz said.

“We go even further through programs like the Youth in Philanthropy Project, where we also foster a giving philosophy that will grow with these young people into the future.”

Prominent local philanthropy group the Buderim Foundation launched a new, ongoing fundraising initiative at the end of January, as part of the hilltop town’s busy Australia Day Parade.

Rooted in the belief that from little gifts, big things grow, the Foundation introduced their 2019 Regular Giving Program, in order to expand their celebrated Community Grants Program.

Buderim Foundation committee member Natasha Read, herself a long-time Buderim resident, said the program is an ideal for those already accustomed to automatic payments.

“There are many areas in my life that I am used to making ongoing contributions towards, including bills or other donations, so doing the same thing for the Buderim Foundation just seemed to make sense,” Ms Read said.

“I was keen to contribute to the great work the Foundation does for our community, and while it might not seem like a lot each time, my donations will accumulate to become something much bigger.”

Foundation Chair Russell Stitz said the program gives people of all ages and means the power to make a difference through regular contributions.

“All amounts are gratefully received and while they can be made as a one-off donation, a quarterly or monthly contribution may be more manageable and affordable for some,” Mr Stitz said.

“Donations are never spent; the Buderim Foundation operates under a money in – money managed – money out model, whereby all contributions are invested in what we call the Foundation Fund.

“It is only the interest earned from that Fund that we then distribute annually via grants.

“Continuing to grow our capital means we help even more organisations in Buderim achieve their goals through our Community Grants Program.”

Last year, the Buderim Foundation awarded a record amount of more than $75,000 in grants to 23 community-based organisations, as part of its biggest ever Community Grants Celebration since the program started in 2008.

Among the 2018 recipients are the unique children’s reading initiative Story Dogs who are using the funds to upgrade their picture-book library; the Beautiful You Program, awarded $4,700 for a Health and Wellbeing program for cancer sufferers and The Compass Institute, awarded $8,000 to run a Beach Safety and Awareness program for all trainees.

The Buderim Foundation Grants Program is open to not-for-profit community-based organisations that provide services and support for residents in the 4556 postcode.

Grants are awarded to projects relating to eight areas of interest including those which seek to strengthen the fabric of the community, help residents live healthy and fulfilling lives and protect and preserve our natural environment.

For more information on the Buderim Foundation, and to find out how you can join the Regular Giving Program please visit the website – www.buderimfoundation.org.au/regular-giving-program/

After the launch of its new fundraising initiative during Australia Day celebrations, the Buderim Foundation has revealed the 2018 Community Challenge was a huge success, with more than $400,000 raised for the local community through various fundraising activities and donor contributions in just 12 months.
Buderim Foundation Chair Dr Russell Stitz said a total of $433,000 was raised by the popular philanthropy group in 2018, comprising contributions from 7 local businesses, three community groups, two bequest, nine events and 68 individual contributions.
“We are absolutely delighted with the result of last year’s Community Challenge,” Dr Stitz said.
“All contributions are important, but what’s really exciting is the cross-section of the community who made individual donations.
“While the bulk of these were in the range of $500 to $10,000, there was the extraordinary $200,000 donation from the Thompson Family all the way down to a $23.50 donation made by the young Wood boys who raised money last Australia Day selling limes grown from a tree in their back yard.

“We are so grateful for these donations, however small or large, and they’re a great example of what we’re trying to achieve with the Buderim Foundation – the idea of life-long philanthropy.”

In addition to these donor contributions, the Foundation relies on a veritable army of volunteer Ambassadors working behind the scenes in the areas of marketing, events, donor development, grants, youth development, policy and investment.

Operating under a money in – money managed – money out model, the local philanthropy group set a goal in 2018 of raising enough funds to bring the total balance of their Foundation Fund to $2 million.
With last year’s fundraising efforts the Fund now stands at a very healthy $1.85 million (despite the volatile sharemarket currently) , Dr Stitz said income wise 2018 was the best in the Foundation’s 14 year history.
“The larger the Foundation Fund, the more money can be invested, in turn generating income returned back into the community via the Foundation’s Community Grants Program,” he said.
“Last year alone, more than $75,000 in grants was awarded to 23 community groups in or benefitting residents in the 4556 postcode, including The Compass Institute, Chancellor State College P&C Association, Story Dogs and the Buderim branch of the Scouts.
“As the total funds and annual grants grow, our supporters are becoming increasingly aware of the power of the community foundation concept with every dollar continuing to work for ever.”

Along with the Foundation’s Regular Giving Program launched last month, fundraising activities vary throughout the year and have so far included initiatives such as movie nights, art raffles, music concerts, networking events, as well as personal bequests and donations.
The Buderim Foundation is generously supported throughout the year by Buderim Pharmacy, Edenlea and Sunshine Toyota, who cover annual operational costs.

Photo Caption:
All donations large and small make a difference to the Buderim Foundation -pictured Buderim Foundation chair Dr Russell Stitz with Community Challenge donors Roy & Nola Thompson and Jack, Charlie & Zara Wood in front of the Buderim Foundation tree. Photo by Reflected Image PRoductions.