A warm, clear evening saw over 125 people gathered at Benalla P-12 Avon St Campus to commemorate the year with Tomorrow Today, Benalla’s independent community foundation. Opening with drinks in the garden before the main event, local volunteers, donors, program participants and partners, local dignitaries, advocates and government and funding partner representatives came together to celebrate the foundation’s work in 2023.
Tomorrow Today’s Executive Officer, Rosie Koop spoke at what will be her last Community Celebration in the position, “Tomorrow Today is built on a conviction that we (and by ‘we’ I mean ‘us’ – the people here tonight) can create a brighter tomorrow by challenging ourselves today. A generous, connected community paves the way to that bright future. At Tomorrow Today, we see ourselves as the glue. It is wonderful to have so many of our supporters here tonight, including those who have travelled from afar.”
The Community Celebration is also a time for program participants and grant recipients to share how Tomorrow Today has impacted their lives or work. Education Benalla Program Manager, Sally Matheson, spoke with Jenny Wapling and Kayleigh Stanton about Venturers; “The Connect9 program has been coming to Venturers for a number of years, and recently we’ve seen a huge jump in our numbers. We now have around 19 active members, up from three or four two years ago, and I attribute that to our involvement with Tomorrow Today.”
Kayleigh shared why she joined Venturers: “I did Connect9 in 2022 and we went to Venturers for one of the nights. I really loved it and decided when Connect9 finished that I’d start going to Venturers. Now when the new Connect9 mentees and mentors visit I take part in planning and leading all the activities for the night.”
PEEP participants Natalee Plum and Tanya Williams shared their stories about how and why they joined the PEEP program. “Tanya is my aunty and we’ve both had babies at about the same time! Tanya was a PEEP volunteer, so when we were pregnant, we talked about coming to PEEP, and my Maternal Child Health Nurse also referred me to the program – it’s part of being a parent in Benalla.”
Fostering connection is a key factor in all that Tomorrow Today does. Their education programs span pre-birth through to early career, working with children and their families, local preschools and schools and other partners to improve outcomes for Benalla’s children and young people. Their annual grants program assists local community groups to fund projects that further build or enhance community connection.
Rosie Koop summed up what the community celebration means to Tomorrow Today and its staff: “This annual event is one that is very dear to us – it is the highlight of our year. It’s a chance for us to celebrate what we’ve achieved by working together, and to thank everyone who has supported us throughout the year. Seeing everyone here tonight is a very powerful testament to the generosity of Benalla’s people and its strong community spirit.”