Canberra’s community organisations have been held back from their core work because they need IT equipment, Alicia Payne MP, member for Canberra, believes.

Canberra business Synergy Group has come to the rescue: on Wednesday, it presented refurbished laptops to Hands Across Canberra, the ACT’s independent community foundation, and to seven community organisations in Ms Payne’s electorate of Canberra:

• Girrahween Lodge Association
• Macedonian Orthodox Church Inc Canberra & Macedonian Language School
• Canberra Runners Incorporated
• View Clubs of Australia
• Holy Cross Tuckerbox
• The Scout Association of Australia ACT Branch Inc
• Canberra Netball Association

Ms Payne identified the beneficiaries needing IT equipment and upgrade support through the 2022-23 Volunteer Grant funding round. The grants are closed, non-competitive, and electorate-based, and draw on Federal MPs’ knowledge about the needs of eligible organisations in their local communities.

Ms Payne applauded the Synergy Group’s generosity in donating the equipment, and Hands Across Canberra for making it possible.

“Community organisations do vital work, but many are held back by lack of access to the basic technology they need,” Ms Payne said.

“Hands Across Canberra does a brilliant job of connecting resources with need in our city, and this is a fantastic example.

“Peter Gordon [the CEO of Hands Across Canberra] has sat on a panel to help me consider grant applications many times.

“When we saw multiple applications for money for laptops, Peter said he thought he could come up with a better solution, and he has.”

Mr Gordon said the laptops would add real value to the work of many great local charities.

“Synergy Group is a major Canberra business, and it is a leader in the support of our community,” he said.

“Hands Across Canberra is our community foundation, and we work with over 350 local charities doing great work with our most vulnerable.

“Synergy is a great corporate example of ‘giving where we live’.”

Toni Marzulli, CEO of the Synergy Group, hoped the donations would become an ongoing program.

“Synergy Group and organisations like ours, are privileged to access technical resources which enable our team members to deliver quality work to our clients every day,” Ms Marzulli said. “We are aware some people are not as privileged.

“This is why we have decided to donate our used laptops to Hands Across Canberra in the hope that with the right resources, such as a laptop, the overall function and processes of organisations in need have a real chance to thrive.”

Ms Marzulli was glad the donated laptops would have a second life across local Canberra charities.

“We are passionate about giving back and positively contributing to our Canberra community, and so when this opportunity presented itself, we were just grateful that we were able to give back in a meaningful way.

“While we see the benefit for the receiving charities, we are also pleased that we have been able to find a sustainable and impactful arrangement, and this is something which Synergy Group is proud to be committing to for the foreseeable future.”

Ms Payne said up-to-date and secure technology is essential to running any organisation, and Synergy Group’s generosity will allow a number of Canberra organisations to better accomplish their missions.

“This donation has a double benefit in that it provides small charities with upgraded technology, while freeing up grant money which can be put towards other things,” Ms Payne said.

“I hope that other organisations might be inspired to make similar donations of equipment.”