BACK TO SCHOOL VOUCHERS 2022: HELPING DISADVANTANTAGED CHILDREN START THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR

The Back-to-School initiative is part of the Rural Education Australia Program. Foundation Barossa has partnered with the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) since 2008 to provide these vouchers.
Back to School is a national program that helps remote and rural children and young people to engage in learning and strengthen their educational outcomes. Back to School provides $50 vouchers to be used for items such as school uniforms, clothing, shoes, school bags and stationery – or anything that helps students feel ready to learn.
The Barossa has seen an increase of 8% in the number of school age children on School Cards, which is considered a measure of economic disadvantage, as we begin to see the impacts of the events of the last couple of years.
The vouchers are more than a $50 gift. This program is about social inclusion and resilience, building confidence and morale in disadvantaged children.
We have just been advised that next year we will have an unprecedented $37,000 in Back to School vouchers. This is due to the incredible generosity and support of FRRR and also our matched voucher Back to School partner, Barossa Real Estate. With this, we can provide 740 vouchers to Barossa families. The distribution of vouchers will be determined by the school welfare teachers.
Former Principal, Tanunda Primary School Michelle Barnes, “The Back-to-School vouchers have been of significant importance to Tanunda Primary School who have a number of families living under significant financial pressure particularly those students who may have additional needs, so being able to give them a gift of a voucher really helps kids experience a sense of belonging. Being able to buy a new pair of shoes, although that may seem small, can really make a difference to the life of a child.”
Thank you to FRRR and Barossa Real Estate, this is such wonderful news on the back of a very challenging year for many in the community, we really appreciate the support you give to some of those who need it most.

NEW BOARD MEMBERS FOR FOUNDATION BAROSSA

As we start the new year we would like to introduce our three newest Board members. They each bring skills and strengths that will further enhance the Board and help us respond to all the opportunities and challenges ahead.
Amy Heinecke
Amy has already joined the Board and is part of the Foundation Barossa Finance Committee. Amy is the General Manager of Rockford Wines and, brings a wealth of experience and knowledge as well as a strong passion for community.
John Hughes
John needs little introduction to most! Perpetually afforded the tag of Australia’s nicest and most affable winemaker, Rieslingfreak winemaker / owner John is also incredibly community minded. John has slight Cerebral Palsy and has always wanted to put together a Scholarship that enables a student with a disability to go further. The Kicking Goals Scholarship is designed to take a student in the Barossa region further into education, with the ultimate goal being employment.
Abbey Underwood
Accessibility advocate Abbey Underwood was crowned 2021 Barossa Young Ambassador. Abbey’s genuine passion and desire to create inclusive and accessible playgrounds in the Barossa was what won her the award. Abbey’s selection to the Board recognises the important role young people play in the community.
We would also like to thank retiring Board members, Karl Martin (Treasurer) and Anthony Grundel (Secretary) for their many years of service both to the Foundation and to the impact they have made to the community. We truly appreciate and thank you for all you have done.

Ryan Noack and Kayley Boehm are the Thomas Scholars for 2022.

The scholarship will provide welcome support to the Year 12 students from Truro and Light Pass. The families of both students have weathered tough years on their farms and vineyards.

Ryan impressed the panel with his excellent academic results and commitment to the community. He plans to study a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Adelaide University.

“I feel extremely privileged and thankful to have been chosen to receive this scholarship.  It will help me so much with the costs associated with studying at Uni”, said Ryan.

Kayley Boehm plans to return to the Barossa after completing her Bachelor of Primary Education, University of South Australia.

‘Winning this scholarship gives me the ability and motivation to follow my childhood dream. I’m excited about the future and feel so blessed to share it with the community,’ said Kayley.

The Thomas Scholarship was Foundation Barossa’s first scholarship. It was set up thanks to a generous donation by David and Barbara Thomas in 1998. Since then we’ve helped local students to complete tertiary studies in a range of subjects, including viticulture, oenology, veterinary science, teaching and geospatial science. The scholarships pay for tuition, living costs or equipment.

Through the scholarship, Foundation Barossa helps young people contribute to the Barossa’s future.

‘We’re excited to award these scholarships to Ryan and Kayley. We wish them the best with their studies. The Foundation would also like to thank Fiona Donald from Seppeltsfield for being part of the selection panel and bringing her industry experience, passion for the region and support for local students to the process,’ said Executive Officer, Annabelle Elton-Martin.

Click here to learn more about the Thomas Scholarship.

For further information, please email  Annabelle Elton-Martin, Executive Officer.

FOUNDATION BAROSSA GRANTS SUPPORT NEW COMMUNITY INITIATIVES

Four projects focused on improving the health and wellbeing of our community are the 2021 Foundation Barossa Community Grant recipients. The projects address key needs, build community strength and find collaborative solutions to community problems.
This year, the program received an injection of fresh ideas with the Youth Council taking part in the selection process. After an initial review by the Community Grants panel, the students from the four participating schools presented the applications to the Foundation Barossa board. This gave the ambassadors an opportunity to learn more about issues in our community.
‘Thank you for the wonderful news that Jaxon and Reo’s proposal was accepted and fully funded. They are super excited and look forward to seeing their project through. We’re grateful to Foundation Barossa for the time and effort they put in to supporting the local community and providing such opportunities for young people,’ said Josh Grieger, Year 9 Wellbeing Leader, Faith Lutheran College – Middle & Senior School
Four successful projects will share in $6000, which includes fundraising by the students.
The Youth Homelessness Home Starter Package program will provide young people moving into independent accommodation with essentials like small appliances, kitchenware, linen and bedding.
Nuriootpa High School Breakfast Club will use the funding to increase their capacity for storage of breakfasts and take-home meals for students and families requiring support during times of crisis, financial hardship, family disfunction, or emotional breakdown. The club provides the school’s 1400 students with a morning meal, a place of connection and a positive start to the school day.
Greenock Cricket Club – The Schlungers All Abilities Cricket Program is a short-term program to help juniors of any skill level, particularly those with a disability, to learn the skills of cricket. The program gives kids who may not otherwise be able to experience sport the opportunity to connect, have fun and belong. It will create an inclusive and supportive environment that embraces diversity and will facilitate meaningful contact between the club and the community.
Garden Gatherings for Wellbeing at the St Petri Hand in Hand Family Centre will turn the centre’s outdoor area into a usable vegetable garden and cooking area. They will run community gardening days and increase children and adults gardening knowledge. The project will aim to get people outside, socialising and meeting people. It will also teach skills that will contribute to physical and mental health.
Congratulations to all our Community Grant recipients and thankyou to our Youth Council for all their hard work.
[Photo – Jaxon Rasmus and Reo Gerhardy – the Faith Lutheran College Ambassadors for The Youth Council]

Those Barossa Girls receive a Peter Lehmann Arts & Education Trust grant from Foundation Barossa

Another recipient of a PLAET grant this year was the collaborative venture between Sheralee Menz and Marieka Ashmore, ‘Those Barossa Girls’. They are dedicated to reviving traditional food skills, breathing new life into heritage recipes, and uncovering the fabulous community connections that bind them all together. They are passionate about Barossa’s food history, its food memories, its seasonality, its heritage recipes, its enduring resonance, and particularly its keepers.
The grant will allow them to record interviews with descendants of recipe contributors, and capture deep and rich regional cultural food connections. The recordings will be edited into a podcast to be released at the same time as the book, and source recordings will be donated to the Barossa Library to become part of the regional history collection.
Congratulations Sheralee & Marieka.
[Photo credit: John Krüger Photography]
One of this year’s Peter Lehmann Arts & Education Trust (PLAET) recipients is Rebekah Rosenzweig, who has received a grant to publish her book ‘A History of the Barossa Vintage Festival’.
Rebekah has spent many hours tracking down past vintage queens to hear and record their stories before it is too late, and the memories are lost forever. There were many other people who shared memories for various parts of her project, from involvement with floats to memories of the maypole dance to creating scarecrows.
The book includes ‘How the Festival Began’, ‘The Vintage Queen Competition’ as well as ‘Conversations with Past Vintage Queens and Finalists’, ‘The Float Procession’, ‘Strassenfest’, ‘Grape Picking Championships’, ‘The Vintage Carnivals’, ‘The Festival Finale’ at Angaston, ‘The Ziegenmarkt’ and ‘The Scarecrow Trail’.
This project supports PLAET’s objective to preserve the Barossa’s history and heritage. Once published the book will be available as a public and community resource.
Congratulations Rebekah!

Corkage for a Cause 2021

What is Corkage for a Cause?

Foundation Barossa’s annual Christmas appeal – Corkage for a Cause – will this year support Carers & Disability Link.

We are reaching out to all cellar doors, restaurants and bars in the Barossa region to help spread a little bit of happiness this Christmas to those that need it most.

By donating your corkage charges or tasting fees on Friday November 26, you will be supporting a young carers camp so they can have some fun and be a kid this Christmas.

Christmas can be a difficult time for young carers.  There is often not much opportunity to just to be a kid when you have parents or siblings affected by disability.  Families can struggle to find the time, resources and capability to care for these young people.

This Christmas we want to raise funds for Carers & Disability Link so young carers between 5 to 17 years old can participate in a recreational camp.  The camp is designed to assist with building morale and confidence, fostering self-esteem and developing self-worth.   But mainly, it gives these young people the opportunity to have some fun and be a kid this Christmas.

To help bring a much-deserved smile to one of these young heroes please click here to make a tax-deductible donation.

We have a real opportunity to make a difference to the lives of these children.

Your participation would be greatly appreciated and bring a little bit of hope and joy where it is needed most.

To register your venue, please contact Annabelle Elton-Martin via email.

For more details and a full list of participating venues please click here.

 

How to Donate

Make your donations directly through the link below. All donations are tax-deductible.

Donate Now Button

More information or to register your venue

For more information or to register your business to take part, please contact Annabelle Elton-Martin via email.

Tutti Arts receive a Peter Lehmann Arts & Education Trust grant from Foundation Barossa

One of this year’s successful recipients of a Peter Lehmann Arts & Education grant is the Tutti Arts QR Art n Sound project

This project directly breaks down barriers for people living with disability, but it does more than that.
This project is reimagining what an exhibition can become. It is reimagining the interaction with art makers and their audience bringing together the meanings of the artworks directly from the artist with disability. Often people living with disability are not heard, their usual experience of other people speaking on their behalf without consent is too common.
QR trial was performed at the Tutti Arts Barossa SALA 2021 exhibition at Château Tanunda with Tutti Artist Shane Waechter’s inspirational recording of him reading his poem titled, Just Like Everybody Else
Shane pictured middle on front row in photo

BGWA Well-being Grants

The well-being of the community has always relied on our strong sense of togetherness and a willingness to pitch in, help out and lend an ear where it is needed.

The BGWA Well-being Fund was established with Foundation Barossa to better equip members of the region’s wine and grape growing community to engage in meaningful conversations and provide active support for people affected by poor mental health.

A free two day (6 hours per day)  Mental Health First Aid Training will be held on 6-7 December.  The training will be conducted by St John Ambulance at The Barossa Cellar to teach you how to provide initial support to adults who are developing a mental illness or experiencing a mental health crisis.  The course is accredited by Mental Health First Aid Australia.

There will be up to 18 positions available to adults from the region’s wine and grape growing communities, with a maximum of two places per organisation.

Course Content:

This evidence-based course covers how to identify and assist those who may be experiencing issues with their mental health.  Course participants learn about the signs and symptoms of common and disabling mental health conditions and how to use a systematic approach to effectively assist those who are experiencing a mental health crisis.  It also covers strategies that have been proven to be effective in treating and managing mental health conditions, as well as how and where to access professional help.

Please note this course is not a therapy or support group, rather it is an education course to learn how to give mental health first aid to others

Selection Criteria:

Applicants must be:

  • working in a field related to the wine industry
  • demonstrate an interest for mental health first aid training to be able to identify and assist themselves / others in identifying the signs and symptoms of common mental health conditions
  • demonstrate a willingness to implement training outcomes for themselves / others.

 

Applications

Applications open October 12 – November 5, 2021.

Apply Online

Training will be held at The Barossa Cellar, 7- 8 December 2021.

More Information

For further information, contact Annabelle Elton-Martin, Executive Officer on 0455 774 333.

Donations

You can support your community and Foundation Barossa by donating directly to the BGWA Well-being Fund.

Donate Now Button

Download Flyer here – PDF 

 

 

More Information

For further information, contact Annabelle Elton-Martin, Executive Officer on 0455 774 333.

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