Hey Canberra! Only one more week to go
Please help us run our vital programs, with your donation doubled before 7 March!
There’s just one week until the Hands Up for Canberra Giving Day! Please support us with a donation and help us to raise $8k!
The Giving Day is on Wednesday 6 March, and it’s 48 hours to give where you live. Over the 48-hour period, every $1 you donate will become $2 thanks to Hands Across Canberra for the first $2,500 we fundraise, then Aldermane will match up to another $1,500, so $4k will become $8k!
Join us on 6 March for badminton for a cause!
Two badminton courts will be set up in our Sports hall at the Belconnen Community Centre, where you can drop in to play badminton from 10am to 4pm for a $5 donation. This will go towards our fundraising for the Canberra Day Appeal.
Whether you’re an experienced player or new to the game, this is your chance to have a great time for a great cause. Please BYO racket, or there will be some available on the day.
By donating to the Canberra Day Appeal, you will support some of our vital annual projects, such as:
• new and upgraded community facilities for cooking, theatre productions and small business markets
• our annual giving tree appeal to ensure everyone has something to feel festive about over the holiday season
• the 10/10 project, where we give back to our community by providing free ‘backyard blitz’ style yard and garden clean-ups for up to 10 vulnerable households who, due to their life circumstances, find it challenging to manage the condition of their yards.
Every dollar makes a difference in the lives of our community members.
• $5 buys a ‘social coffee’ for a local who needs a warm drink.
• $12 gives an older person a lift to get their groceries, attend an appointment or connect with others.
• $50 gives a young person a safe place to have a meal with activities that help them explore their identity.
• $200 strengthens a family with programs that grow connections and develop safe and secure environments.
We can only meet our goals with generous donations from the individuals and businesses in our community. Please help us reach our goal of raising $8,000 by 7 March.
Recent News Stories
Following on from the signage placed around the Belconnen Community Centre and notices distributed to participants, we are sharing this update to confirm that the Swanson Court carpark has now permanently closed as of Tuesday 2 April 2025, due to a new development at the site by JWLand.
Young people in Belconnen now have easier access to free, confidential health and wellbeing support with the arrival of the T25 Clinic at Belconnen Youth Centre. Every Thursday from 2pm to 5pm the T25 Clinic van, Mini Pat, will be on-site offering a safe and welcoming space for young people aged 12 to 25. There’s no need for an appointment – just drop in when you need support.
The Canberra Day Appeal 2025 has wrapped up for another year and we are grateful to everyone who contributed, either by making a donation or helping to spread awareness. Thanks to the generosity of our community, employees and corporate supporters, we raised an amazing $6,736.40 – an increase from $5590 in 2024. These funds will go directly towards recruiting, training and supporting more volunteer transport drivers, ensuring people in our community can get to their essential medical appointments for chronic health conditions such as cancer and kidney disease.
Patsy is a lifelong storyteller and a creative spirit. For nearly 20 years, she was a storyteller at early childhood education centres, captivating children with her tales – sometimes using handmade props to bring them to life, other times sharing stories she wrote herself. Creativity has always been second nature to her, and when she’s caught up in a project, time flies by often leading to late nights. Though she recently stepped away from storytelling, she continues her creative pursuits, including a quilt project through Involve (stay tuned!).
For Therese Beckmann, sewing isn’t just about fabric and stitches – it’s a way of telling stories, bringing people together and creating something meaningful. After 30 years of working in sewing, dressmaking and teaching, she realised she wanted to take her skills beyond the retail space and into the community. She had always felt drawn to the senior age group, especially after hearing students in her art classes say, “This is better than therapy.” Hearing it over and over made her realise just how powerful creativity could be in bringing people together and improving wellbeing.