The popular holiday program would not have been possible this year without the Health Communities Grant from the Salesforce.com Foundation. Salesforce.com, an existing technology provider to the NCIE, is a cloud-computing enterprise that helps companies connect with customers, partners and employees.
The $25,000 Health Communities Grant saw the expansion of the program with more activities and also ensures the program can continue to take place during school holidays throughout the year. The program, which ran from Monday April 15 to Friday April 19, included: AFL and NRL coaching clinics; Cooking and nutrition classes; Traditional basket weaving; Yoga; Indigenous games; Pool activities; The NCIE Olympics; and Dance classes.
April Long, newly appointed Programs Manager at the NCIE, commented on the benefits the program provides to the local community: “The school holiday program is a great way for children to get in touch with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures throughout the school break while maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle. The support from the Salesforce Foundation and its volunteers has been instrumental in delivering an expanded program that engages local children,” she said.
Katie Dufficy, PR Manager for Salesforce.com in Australia and New Zealand, said: “The Salesforce.com Foundation is based on a simple idea: Leverage Salesforce.com’s people, technology, and resources to help improve communities around the world. We call this integrated philanthropic approach the 1/1/1 model. Since our founding, we have given over $40 million in grants, 445,000 hours of community service, and provided product donations for over 17,500 nonprofits.”
Every Salesforce employee contributes six days per year as a volunteer with various non-profit organisations.
Carla McGrath, Sustainability Manager at the NCIE, explained her organisation’s commitment to “pathways” for education and development: arts and culture; health and wellness; learning and innovation; sport and recreation. As part of the school holiday program launch, young people interacted with Salesforce volunteers to make and bake damper. The damper was created according to the shape and colours of the NCIE logo. And it was delicious!
