Canterbury working with the local community

Posted on Tuesday, 16 June 2015

Canterbury has always been a proud supporter of the local community and this year the Club will be further growing its involvement in the community.

Each year Canterbury selects organisations to become key community partners to work with on extra special fundraising and volunteering activities. 

Since 2006, Canterbury has been a longtime supporter of Canterbury Hospital and the partnership has seen the Club contribute more than $400,000 to the hospital. Funds have been used to purchase important hospital equipment such as orthopaedic drills, a specialised microscope and a ventilator to replace their ageing one in the Intensive Care Unit.

Another community service provider that has an established history with Canterbury is St Basil’s Nursing Home in Lakemba which provides specialised aged care and retirement living facilities. Over the past few years, Canterbury has provided $150,000 in donations for projects that have helped improve the lives of its residents.

To enhance Canterbury’s support for these two important service providers in our local area, this year the Club will be running a staff community program which involves Canterbury employees in volunteer work at Canterbury Hospital and St Basil’s. 

A more recent addition to the list of Canterbury community partners, but providing an equally invaluable community service, is the Steve Waugh Foundation. Founded by the former Australian cricket captain, the foundation supports children and young adults (0-25 years) and “champions the stories of those living with a rare disease”. Over the past 2 years Canterbury has donated $50,000 which has been used to purchase, amongst other life-saving equipment, a standing wheelchair for 16 years old Bulldogs supporter Jihad who lives with a rare childhood neurological progressive disease called Ataxia Telangiectasia (A-T).
 
Other key community partners that Canterbury is supporting this year includes Movember Foundation, National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) and the RSPCA. Last year staff had a great time doing the City to Surf fun run in support of NBCF, as well as growing hairy moustaches in November’s Movember which saw over $12,000 raised for men’s health. Canterbury will be sponsoring these two events again this year because they were so popular with staff and received a lot of positive feedback.