Shoalhaven City Council Mayor, Joanna Gash joined Southern Phone Chairman, Bill Hilzinger in handing over $25,000 in community funding grants as part of the Southern Phone Grants Scheme. The scheme provides funding to “not for profit” community groups through Councils.
As a Local Government enterprise, shares in the Southern Phone Company can only be held by Councils as a way of ensuring all profits are returned to the community.
The major grants presented by Mr Hilzinger to local community groups included $5000 for a retaining wall at the Nowra Men’s Shed and $4750 for Callala Bay Community Association to purchase a colour copier. A total of eight grants were awarded to local community groups.
Mayor Gash welcomed the handover saying the grants had helped support projects that would otherwise have not been funded.
“The $25,000 given to our area has made a real life difference, bringing resources to projects that the council could not
fund on its own.
“The Shoalhaven is blessed to have so many not for profit community groups working to make a real difference within the local area.
“I would like to congratulate Southern Phones on providing assistance and support to these organisations through the grants scheme.
“This funding will help each of these groups in providing recreational and social benefits to the wider community.”
Southern Phone, which is owned by 41 shareholder councils, pays all dividends back to local communities through its shareholders.
The grants scheme, now in its second year, has returned $2 million to participating communities in addition to $7.7 million that councils have received as dividends since the company was founded.
