SKYCITY Hamilton Community Trust fills gap in local funding
In its latest distribution of grants, SKYCITY Hamilton Community Trust has put people first, with more than half of the grants allocated to salaries or wages of community groups serving the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions.
SKYCITY Hamilton Community Trust Chairman Roger FitzGerald says the Trust is thrilled to support operational costs, such as salaries and wages, which are increasingly difficult for charities to find funding for.
“It’s kind, generous, hardworking people that work within our communities and dedicate their lives to helping others. The Trust recognises the need to support these ongoing costs, such as salaries, to ensure they can continue the important work they do,” says Mr FitzGerald.
On 12 December, the SKYCITY Hamilton Community Trust officially presented grants to 69 community groups, with grants totalling nearly $700,000.
Over the past 15 years the SKYCITY Hamilton Community Trust has distributed $7.9 million to more than 1,600 community organisations in the Waikato region.
SKYCITY Hamilton General Manager Michelle Baillie, says that as a growing CBD business that employs more than 350 people, SKYCITY takes its responsibility to the local community seriously.
“As a thriving entertainment destination in the CBD, we’re proud of the role we play in the Waikato region as it’s where many of our employees, suppliers, customers and support businesses are. We take our responsibility to the community we operate in seriously, and giving to the SKYCITY Hamilton Community Trust is just one of the many ways we do that,” says Baillie.
SKYCITY Entertainment Group operates three community trusts in New Zealand that have distributed more than $51.5 million to more than 4,500 community groups in Auckland, Hamilton and Queenstown since 1996.
Top five largest grants distributed by SKYCITY Hamilton Community Trust in 2017:
- Waikato Environment Centre Trust - $40,000 to assist with driver and coordinator wages for the continuation of their Kaivolution Food Rescue programme.
- Te Whakaruruhau 2013 Inc - $30,000 to assist with salary of a crisis worker.
- Barnados New Zealand – $25,000 to assist with staff costs for LEAP social work and Supervised Contact Services in Waikato.
- South Waikato YMCA - $25,000 to assist with salary and overhead costs so they can continue delivering efficient and effective services.
- Waikato Youth Empowerment Trust - $25,000 to assist with youth development programmes designed to support the transformational journey of over 3,000 children and youth from Waikato’s highest need communities.