17 July 2012
The Auckland Airport Community Trust (AACT) has donated over $467,000 to worthy local community projects in its 2012 funding round.
The Trust, which was established in 2003, receives over $250,000 a year from Auckland Airport and distributes the money annually to local organisations that operate within the Trust’s Area of Benefit, who are supporting the community under the Trust’s current themes of literacy or life skills.
This year’s distributions take the total figure the Trust has donated since it began to over $2.56 million, a substantial figure that has seen over 46 different local organisations receive grants to help them achieve their aspirations and benefit their communities.
The AACT received an unprecedented number of applications for the grants this year, following additional promotion to community organisations by Trust administrators, Auckland Communities Foundation. The breadth and quality of the applications meant that the decision to choose the successful recipients was incredibly challenging.
Roger Baldwin, Auckland Airport Community Trust chairman, says the recipients of the $467,000 were carefully chosen to ensure the funding provided the best possible outcome for the community.
“Every year the AACT donations involve a sizeable amount of funding, so it is hugely important to us that the right organisations are chosen”, says Mr Baldwin. “We can see the very real benefit that the previous AACT donations have had for the community and we know that this year’s donations will have a significant impact as well. It truly is a privilege to help local groups who are achieving such great things within the community.”
This year 20 fantastic organisations were chosen to receive an AACT grant and Youthline Manukau was one of those successful. Youthline will receive a grant of $30,000 for youth development programmes facilitated by youth workers from their new centre in Papatoetoe.
The centre provides a local presence for Youthline in the heart of South Auckland, offering young people in the area a place to relax and feel comfortable, alongside a range of health and personal development services. The centre also provides youth with the opportunity for work skills development alongside life skills support from youth workers and counsellors as necessary.
Hannah Sellars, Manager of Youthline Manukau, says “We are thrilled to receive support from the Auckland Airport Community Trust as this will allow us to provide a range of youth development programmes for the community.”
Also receiving funding was Youth Connections, a joint initiative between Auckland Council, The Tindall Foundation and The Auckland Airport Community Trust. Youth Connections is a new partnership that aims to address the high number of young people in Auckland not in education, employment or training. The trust is specifically supporting the Otara-Papatoetoe Local Board which falls within the Trust’s Area of Benefit.
As well as being a clear focus of Auckland Airport’s wider community relations programme, supporting Auckland's young people is also a vital component of the council’s Auckland Plan and the initiative will see Local Boards working closely with employers, education providers and young people to ensure there are more local opportunities for all school leavers.
Auckland Airport Community Trust and The Tindall Foundation have agreed in principle to provide a combined $900,000 over two years, with Auckland Council contributing a further $350,000.
To view a list of all fund recipients or to find out how to make an application for the Auckland Airport Community Trust funding, please visit www.aucklandairportcommunitytrust.org.nz.
At the Youth Connections launch – left to right: Richard Llewellyn, Auckland Airport Community Trust, Sir Stephen Tindall, Tindall Foundation, Penny Hulse, Deputy Mayor, Martin Fryer, Auckland Airport Community Trust, Dave Richards, Tindall Foundation.
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For further information, please contact:
Kate Thompson
+64 21 385 446