Warwick Friendly Society is pleased to announce this year’s Christmas Giving Programme, which encourages members to choose how the Society’s yearly Christmas Donation is distributed.
The Warwick Friendly Society was founded in 1908 to support members of the Warwick district. At first, the Society provided support to women and children who were in need due to the illness, injury or death of the spouses.
It is fitting therefore that the charities our staff have nominated for the Society Christmas Giving Programme also have a focus on supporting women and children.
The Lighthouse Warwick, QCWA Warwick, and East School Book Program are the three charities that Warwick Friendly Society will highlight during the shopping period up to Christmas.
Warwick East State School believes in the crucial role that books play in the literacy engagement of children. Research has shown that being read to as a child and having books in the home are irreplaceable parts of future academic success. Warwick East State School has developed a program called “BOLT – Building Our Library Together” to increase the books in a child’s home library. The program is designed to further develop a child’s love of reading and to create a legacy of books in the homes of children. The focus is about empowering children through book ownership, prompting a love of books and reading and creating a home library that can be built upon throughout the year. The program also creates the opportunity to share books with siblings and strengthen family bonds. The school aims to gift each child with a book each term of the school year.
QCWA has had a local branch in Warwick since 1924 and in that time members have supported families and communities as stated in the motto, “Through Country Women, For Country Women, By Country Women”.
Condamine Valley- Warwick Branch is one of seventeen branches within the Border Division of the organization. Members are able to showcase their skills through competitions in Cooking, Photography, Handcraft, Dressmaking, Floral
Art; Knitting & Crochet, Art, Public Speaking; Short Story and Poetry. A Country of Study is chosen annually, with competitions included. Our rooms at 76 Grafton St, Warwick, have resumed hiring our Hall and offering take-away food after a seven-month COVID-9 shutdown. It is anticipated that dining-in will be available in 2021 depending on social distancing regulations. Volunteers are most welcome.
– Prior to COVID-19, we have assisted many Warwick and District families and communities by donations, and support to the drought relief response as well as monies to groups e.g. Salvation Army; St Vincent de Paul; Lifeline; Lighthouse; Bush Kids; Rural Aid; VIEW club; Warwick Suicide Prevention Group; Rural Fire Brigade; Leukaemia Fund; Cancer Fund; reflections – History of the Horse; Warwick Show & Rodeo Society; Southern Downs Steam Railway; RACQ Life Flight; C.O.1.D.; RSL Sub Branch; to name but a few.
Our Branch is delighted to offer three graduating Year 12 students, who reside in our QCWA Border Division, and who may require some financial assistance for their first year of tertiary studies, bursaries amounting to $1500 each.
Applications are now open for the 2021 year and are available from our rooms or on the QCWA website, and close 22nd January, 2021.
QCWA’s Vision as an organization is to “Empower and inspire women through friendship, education, service and advocacy”.
The Lighthouse Community Centre is an emergency relief organisation operated to help Warwick’s most vulnerable community members.
Each year the Lighthouse supports around 500 at risk people in the Warwick area. They offer food distribution, emergency hampers, blankets, and domestic violence services. Their Op Shop provides inexpensive clothing as well as funding their charitable activities.
Food for distribution is donated to The Lighthouse from Aldi, Woolworths, Subway and Donut King each day. Depending on the season this may also be supplemented by food purchased with their own funds if required.
The Lighthouse is an independent welfare organisation based in Warwick, near the Warwick Uniting Church. The organisation was established by Pastor Judith Kunkel as a central, one-stop-shop for people in need within the community.
How it will work
- With each transaction in-store (no minimum spends and can be from any department), members will receive a token (must be a current member)
- Choose which charity you would like to support from the on-counter display
- Pop your token in the appropriate box
Donation
$3000 will be distributed between the three charities according to the proportion of tokens in the boxes. These funds will be distributed during January 2021.
Conditions
*For every transaction made in-store, each member will receive one promotional token (limit of 1 token per transaction). Place the token in the entry box on the counter, selecting the individual charity that you wish to support. Warwick Friendly Society will make a charitable donation to each of the three charities at the end of the promotion, based on the proportion of tokens contributed to each charity. The total donation will be AUD$3,000. Christmas Giving Programme Promotion runs from 1/12/20–24/12/20.