The Foundation for Rural Regional Renewal has donated money for various projects that aim to help Rochester residents recover after the October 2022 floods.
The most recent grant from Suncorp of $19,949 was for the shire hall. The donation was made in October to “bring the roar to Rochy (shire hall)”.
The second donation, which also came in October, was for the Boys to the Bush program and saw $20,000 provided to support youth recovery and resilience via extracurricular activities that develop life skills, experience of rural employment opportunities, community engagement and mentoring.
Another program saw $5000 donated to Rochester Secondary College to enable students and teachers to build an edible garden.
In partnership with Suncorp and AAMI, the FRRR has awarded more than $44,500 to Rochester in support of local not-for-profits where communities were impacted by flooding events.
FRRR disaster resilience and recovery lead Nina O’Brien was thrilled to announce the recent grants.
“In this round of grants, we’re seeing projects that are about building community amenities and improving infrastructure, but there’s also an emphasis on initiatives about building community resilience and promoting social wellbeing,” Ms O’Brien said.
“The floods have had a huge emotional toll on the people in these communities, yet they’re still determined to build back and become even more resilient than before, which is inspiring.
“Thanks to the generous support of Suncorp and AAMI, we can help them to do just that.”
Suncorp Group pledged $1 million to FRRR in 2021 for a dedicated Rebuilding Futures program to support Australian communities impacted by significant natural disasters.
This is the program’s third round, and with these grants, Suncorp will have distributed more than $1 million.
The grants awarded range from $4040 to $20,000 and will be used for high priority projects ranging from building community infrastructure and improving emergency facilities to youth activity programs and community workshops.
Suncorp Group chief executive Steve Johnston said the grants would help support community-led recovery in the impacted areas.
“Australia is no stranger to natural disasters, and unfortunately, I’ve seen all too often the devastation and emotional toll they have on our communities,” Mr Johnston said.
“That’s why we are supporting affected Victorian communities through the Rebuilding Futures program — to build back and better than before, making them even more resilient.”
The FRRR partners with The Portland House Foundation to bring meaningful change to communities in Australia.
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