Benalla’s community foundation, Tomorrow Today, celebrated another year of community involvement when almost 140 people gathered at Benalla P-12 Avon St on Thursday 30 October.
The annual celebration is an opportunity for the Foundation’s supporters to hear first-hand from program participants as they share how Tomorrow Today has impacted their lives or work.
Education Benalla Program Manager, Sally Matheson, spoke with Patience Wellard and Fiona Haddon about their experiences as participants in the ConnectParent program. Patience shared how important Fiona has been to her journey as a new mum; “Fiona’s just been a great listening ear and someone that I can just go to whenever I need to vent, whether it be about my son or about just life in general, she’s prepared to listen.”
For Fiona the experience has been rewarding too; “The support and the friendship that we have gained from being involved in this program, there is nothing better, and I would like to think that I will continue being involved with Patience and her family for a long time to come.”
When Kate Holmes saw a need in the Benalla community she rose to the challenge by spearheading the creation of the Benalla Homelessness Response Group (BHRG). She spoke about how funding from Tomorrow Today has allowed the group to build local capacity; “When we first got going, Tomorrow Today provided us with a Stepping Stones grant which enabled several of our members to participate in conferences on homelessness. Engaging in those conferences was pivotal to our understanding of what we were trying to create to support the homeless community in Benalla.”
“Then, more recently, we received a very generous $5,000 grant from Tomorrow Today which allowed us to train more volunteers in the Safe Talk Suicide Alert training and Accidental Counsellor training.”
“It was really important to us to get this training so that we’ve got a lot more people skilled up and able to help those people who are in distress. So then, it’s just not on the shoulders of one or two volunteers, but we’ve created this strong network, because together, we’re a lot stronger.”
After successfully emceeing the event for the first time in 2024, 16 members of the Full Impact Squad once again stepped up to lead the evening’s formalities and serve refreshments. As always, the Squad represented Benalla’s young people with their flair and reliability.
Guest speaker, Professor Sharon Goldfeld, a paediatrician and Director of the Centre for Community Child Health at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, spoke about the challenges of childhood inequity in rural and regional communities. Her insightful presentation about layering programs to support children’s health and education from birth to adulthood was well-received.
Board Chair, Louise Pearce summed up what the community celebration means to Tomorrow Today; “This annual celebration has a very special place in the hearts of all of us at Tomorrow Today. Tonight’s event is a chance for us to celebrate what’s been achieved through working together and to acknowledge all of those who have contributed to those achievements.”
“We are very grateful for the generosity of our donors, partners, funders and community members whose ongoing belief in our vision of creating a bright future for Benalla strengthens and sustains our work.”
“We are equally grateful for the contribution made by more than 100 local volunteers whose time, energy and goodwill make our work possible. The success of our programs is a direct reflection of their commitment to supporting the children and families of our community.”
“Looking ahead we remain committed to ensuring that Tomorrow Today continues to build opportunities for children and families, strengthens community connections, and responds to emerging challenges with innovation and care. Together with our volunteers and supporters, we are confident in our shared ability to create lasting, positive change for our community.”