The 2024 staff grants night, held at the new Epping Rotary Hall in late September 2024, was a great celebration of some outstanding local not-for-profit organisations.

The mission of the Community Bank Epping, as part of Bendigo Bank, is to not only offer customers an excellent banking option, but also to give back to the Epping community. This is done through a range of grants and sponsorships throughout the year. The 2024 staff grants awards is one of the highlights of this program.

For the last three years, the branch team has been invited to choose one or two local organisations to support with a grant of $2,000. They could be a particular interest or an organisation that the team member is involved in, or an area they have a connection to and would like to highlight.

In late September, 5 charities joined with staff and directors to celebrate their work, share their stories and accept the grant. It was a night that demonstrated the power of community and the benefits of giving back. As one participant noted “Community is in our DNA – it’s what we do”. The anecdotes shared gave inspiration to all. And 5 very different groups networked and learnt from each other.

The evening’s highlight though was a terrific song from The Good Life Chorus – a dementia-inclusive community choir from West Ryde. Simple but very moving.

2024 Staff Grant Recipients

• The Woolcock Institute of Medical Research
• Heartbeat of Football Foundation
• World League for Protection of Animals
• Good Life Chorus
• Beecroft House – Women’s Community Shelters

Community Bank Epping congratulates each of these organisations on the valuable community work that they do and looks forward to forming lasting relationships with them and helping them with future projects.