We wish to thank our amazing community for your support during another massive year.
We've supported over 48 organisations in since we began, enabling our community to provide relief to thousands of people.
2021 began with BCER winning 2 awards at Bayside City Council's Australia Day awards ceremony: Community Event of the Year, and our founder & President Deb Brook won Bayside's Citizen of the Year. Tim Wilson MP also presented Deb with a 2021 Goldstein
Certificate of Achievement.
A few months later, one of our outstanding volunteers, Margaret Malloch Walker was a finalist in the Community Hero Heimann Memorial Award run by Community Bank Bendigo Bank Highett.
All up, our awesome volunteers completed 1,104 packs including emergency packs for men, women and children fleeing domestic violence, art therapy packs, counselling packs, packs for the homeless/rough sleepers & for residents in three not for profit aged care homes.
Organisations receiving these packs included The Orange Door Frankston & Dandenong, Emerge, The Good Samaritan Inn, SECASA, Nixon House, Northcliff Lodge, Fairway Aged Care, Family Life, & The Humble Mission.
We completed large-scale emergency response initiatives for: - Neighborhood Watch 3193: Cann River bushfire relief - Bushfire & Flood relief: Cann River, Sale, Traralgon: 152 boxes - Dandenongs storms: wildlife & human aid: 2 trips - The Orange Door: clothing short burst drive & domestic violence packs for 2 locations - Connect Health & Community: 3 families in need & pet items - Grace Heart Church: Food callout November - ChelCSS food callout & Xmas toy drive - BAYCISS ongoing donations of bags & requested food & goods - Bayside Council ongoing donations of goods for families in need - The Avalon Centre: homeless & domestic violence support - RizeUp - Disaster Relief Aus - Glen Eira College: Year 12 mental health support
We won grants from Glen Eira Council, Kingston Council, Frankston Council, Community Bank Highett, the Federal Government and the Westfield Local Heroes grant which was on a public vote.
Amongst all this we've had sewing teams helping with our bags, the community making comfort cards and wildlife pouches and huge donations of goods from Officeworks Highett & Bunnings Moorabin as well as from Mums Supporting Families in Need, Our Kitchen Table, Pinchapoo, CWA Bayside , a few schools and many amazing community members. Early in the year StreetArt Jigsaws donated limited edition local & frontline heroes medals that we gave away to the community in celebration of our 1st birthday.
In May we held our inaugural Thank You Morning Tea for National Volunteer Week in conjunction with Highett Neighbourhood Community House & Community Bank Highett. 2021 also saw our 1st Goodwill Ambassador, Channel 9 reporter Mark Santomartino coming on board.
We are humbled and grateful that the Magistrates Court of Victoria added BCER to the list of charities they support. We are truly thankful of the ongoing support of many local schools, charities, businesses, community groups & individuals.
On the fundraising front, Amcor, Trinity Uniting Church Brighton & Brian Lewin real estate made generous surprise donations. In August we held our highly successful annual online auction fundraiser & also won the Grill’d Southland jar of the month. The Rotary Club of Brighton’s epic bike ride sensationally funded 2 of the 3 SECASA aid relief initiatives. To round off the hectic year we ran 5 Westfield Southland Xmas gift wrapping stalls with our sensational volunteers. We are also participating in the annual People’s Choice Lottery that is currently underway until early March 2022.
September saw our 1st AGM with full financials & reporting made to the relevant governing authorities. Our committee expanded and we will be bringing in a few more in time too. All of this plus more in another super busy year. Not bad for an unfunded 100% volunteer run local charity formed by the community for the community!
2022 is shaping up to be another big year with 4 grants to be fulfilled plus other as yet unknown emergency relief requests along the way. We have also started our comfort packs for children fleeing domestic violence as there is sadly an ongoing need. So many other plans and announcements too so stay tuned and spread the word.
Our thanks go to the numerous organisations and community members who have donated goods to go into our packs & relief callouts. We can’t thank our sensational community & volunteers enough for your ongoing support that enables BCER to help thousands of people in need the right way with the right goods. Apologies if we have left anyone out. It was a HUGE year!
The idea for BCER was conceived new years eve 2019 & what a whirlwind 2 years it’s been! Who’d have thought we’d become a charity & continue helping such a diverse range of those in need. We have some exciting plans for 2022 so please join in where you like & invite your friends too!
Thank you to everyone for your continued support. It truly takes a village and our village is going from strength to strength. Our community truly rocks, you should all be proud of what we collectively achieve!
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