10/10 2023 wrap-up

On Thursday 26 October, 56 volunteers donned their workwear, picked up rakes, pushed mowers, snipped branches and pulled out weeds to help out nine households in need across Canberra for our annual 10/10 Project. 

Commencing in 2012, the 10/10 Project is a day about giving back to our community. Our volunteer teams provide one-off free ‘backyard blitz’ style yard and garden clean-ups for vulnerable families who, due to their life circumstances, find it challenging to manage the condition of their yards. 

We particularly try to help people who may be at risk of eviction due to the condition of their yards, those who are no longer physically able to manage their yards, homes where children can no longer play outside safely or where there may be a high fire risk going into the summer period. 

This year, we had volunteers from CRCS, ACT Health, Housing ACT, Programmed and the Department of Social Services contributing part or all of their working day to the project. They filled 12 skips to the brim with grass, weeks, tree cuttings and items that had accumulated in yards, ignoring the sweat and sore muscles in an effort to get it all done. But there were some very welcome breaks for morning tea and lunch made by the Social Bean Café and delivered by volunteer teams. 

Even as they nursed some aches and pains the following day, volunteers reflected on how it was an amazing experience. They spoke of the incredible sense of being part of a team, of the awesome fun they had and the feeling of making a huge difference in the lives of the people whose homes they visited. 

“Just seeing the before and after, what we could achieve as a team in just one day, and the look on the resident’s face—it was incredible,” said one volunteer. 

And the volunteer team at one home got to witness a very special moment. The family had been too concerned about snakes and critters in the long grass to allow their puppy to go out into it, so that afternoon was the dog’s first time rolling around in the yard. We love that the 10/10 Project supports the whole family! 

This year’s 10/10 Project would not have been possible without the support from the following organisations that either provided equipment or supported our fundraising efforts: 

• ACT Skip Hire 
• Burns Golf Club 
• Grill’d Woden 
• Hands Across Canberra 
• Housing ACT 
• Kennard's Hire 
• Programmed 
• Sweet Bones Scullin 
• Two Before Ten Café Aranda 
• Westfield Belconnen-Local Heroes Program 
• Westpac.