News

March 3, 2025 | IN Together Magazine | BY AVID | 5 min read

When you initially enter a town or suburb as a developer, building new facilities and attracting new residents is a given, but connecting with the community and the charities, clubs, and organisations that form the backbone of those neighbourhoods is what truly brings the new and the existing together. 

Every year AVID proudly gives back to the communities it joins by providing grants through our Community Sponsorship and Grants Program. We caught up with a few of the 2023 beneficiaries to share what they do and how they have invested the grants for the benefit of their club, and the community as a whole.

Greenbank Scout Group – Covella 2023 recipient 

Background

Underpinned by the Scouts Australia Movement, the Greenbank Scout Group is recognised as one of Queensland’s largest scout groups, comprising 184 adult and youth members. Its focus is building a community of self-fulfilled individuals who strive to play a constructive role in society, a goal that resonated with the AVID team. 

AVID partnership

Assistant Group Leader Belinda Anderson said the AVID sponsorship included providing fundraising opportunities, promotional activities, supporting their annual report presentation, and their exciting 40^th anniversary celebrations. 

“The Covella partnership has been a great way to shine a light on Scouts Queensland, creating opportunities for personal and community growth,” Belinda said.

“The support from Covella through their grants program has not only allowed us to purchase a brand-new barbeque and esky for our fundraising needs, but also fund a flagpole for our second site at North Maclean which is available for community hire.

“A flagpole is a symbolic connection to scouting used in every meeting for the opening and closing ceremony, so it’s fantastic our group can now utilise this space with a safe flagpole that will support a group of our size.

As for what’s next, Belinda shared they are focused on growth, with redevelopments of their North Maclean site in the pipeline and new promotional items in the works to make the community more aware of the wonderful world of scouting. 

“As we celebrate 40 years of Greenbank Scouts, we anticipate our group will be viable for years to come through public donations and local business support like that of Covella’s. We can’t wait to continue to grow and welcome more scout members.”

Melton Performing Arts – Carolina 2023 recipient

Background

Receiving a grant from AVID’s Carolina community in outer Melbourne, Melton Performing Arts is a new club to the bustling region, founded in 2022. Working as a not for profit organisation, their goal is to bring drama, music, dance, and all forms of performance art to the City of Melton, providing members a safe and welcoming environment to grow their skills. 

AVID partnership

Melton Performing Arts President Dom Wolfram said AVID’s funding would help create a skills workshop for local actors. 

“Melton is a booming area for property development and it’s great to see a company like AVID taking a holistic approach to developing the area, by supporting the wider local community,” Dom said.  

“We started Melton Performing Arts in 2022, and so far community feedback has been overwhelmingly positive with people eager to see the new arts projects and what they might mean for the future of arts in Melton.  

Flash forward to 2024, Melton Performing Arts has hit the stage running with 40 financial members and counting, as well as a new committee elected to keep activities tracking throughout the year. 

“We have been very busy developing and rehearsing our debut stage play, ‘She Kills Monsters’ which we are expecting will lead to even more new members signing on. 

“Behind the scenes we’ve also been preparing for our skills workshops in the first half of the year and are putting together an ongoing singing group, which will get us set up for ad-hoc performances in the community as they arise. 

“We’re really just excited to bring more performances and workshops out into the community and share our love for performance with our neighbours, including the residents in Carolina.”

Rip City Basketball Association – Harmony 2023 recipient

Background

University of Sunshine Coast’s Rip City Basketball Association is on a mission to develop player’s skills and character beyond hoops, guiding participants from beginner to national and international competitions. Harmony’s sponsorship of the association in 2023 helped to bolster its training programs for all age groups. 

AVID partnership

Director of Coaching at the not-for-profit group, Warwick Wilson, said AVID’s grant played a central role in developing player opportunities and training.

“We are thrilled to be recognised and supported by Harmony’s grants program, it’s really a match made in heaven with AVID already having longstanding involvement in youth and professional sports on the Sunshine Coast,” Warwick said.  

“The grant helped fund our popular pop-up programs throughout the year, allowing us to take our coaching into communities – just like Harmony – where our coaches got to work with members of the public on community courts.”

Warwick emphasised the popularity of the Harmony program saying they are hoping to expand this year. 

“Our Harmony program was very popular and with the community growing weekly, we expect our programs to grow in tandem with the neighbourhood. Our sessions were so popular we have now engaged with the local school and are introducing weekly games, training, and events.

“Our next step is to further enhance the community-based approach started last year. This includes more programs in different neighbourhoods to increase the awareness of, and engagement with, our organisation. We’ve already seen interest from various community leaders and organisations around launching programs in their areas, so we are eager to get started.”