Powerchair football will be kicking goals thanks to a $30,000 grant from the Canberra Foundations Collaborative to buy more electric wheelchairs and expand the local league. Powerchair Football League has two clubs in Canberra and they have strong ambitions to represent Australia.
The grant to Capital Region Muscular Dystrophy was one of 57 projects funded by the Canberra Foundations Collaborative, which is made up of Hands Across Canberra, The Snow Foundation, and the John James Foundation.
For the uninitiated, powerchair football is soccer on wheels, catering to any body with mobility issues. Competition is fierce and Canberra’s two clubs – Woden Valley Soccer Club and Gungahlin United Football Club – recently competed at a national competition in Sydney.
Capital Football CEO Ivan Slavich says the sport requires four chairs per team and he’s hoping to eventually purchase 16 chairs to boost the local competition. “We need more players,” he says.
If any aspiring Ronaldos out there would like to enrol in Canberra’s Powerchair Football League, visit www.capitalfootball.com.au
Another recipient of the grants is the One Box Group Limited, which received $50,000 over one year to deliver essential food boxes to 83 vulnerable families across the Queanbeyan area. A further $25,000 will fund the following two years. The food boxes of fresh produce aim to address food insecurity and promote school engagement for vulnerable families.
Andrew Turvey, CEO for Together For Youth, connected with One Box Group to deliver the essential goods. Andrew is a former principal of Karabar High and knows the community well.
“I know the vulnerability of lots of families though my role as principal at Karabar for six years,” he says. “Forty boxes will be delivered each week throughout the four terms.”
Schools across Queanbeyan and Captains Flat were surveyed to determine demand for the food boxes. Schools then nominated eligible families to receive the essential supplies.
This year, the Canberra Foundations Collaborative has funded 13 disability projects, nine mental health projects, six healthcare and six projects addressing disadvantage.
