This is in addition to the $3.4 million provided in the last financial year to support local sports, schools, welfare and community groups.

Mounties Group president Kevin Ingram and club directors presented the funding to a broad range

of organisations including Telstra Child Flight, the Australian Breastfeeding Association, Liverpool

Migrant Resource Centre, Ted Noffs Foundation and Disability South West.

Mr Ingram described this years community grant recipients as diverse. The grants covered initiatives

from youth and health awareness programs to projects providing assistance to people who are intellectually disabled. Many local schools will also be upgrading facilities and implementing programs using the donations.

The organisations which have received funding are providing essential services to the community and

rely heavily on our grants for assistance, Mr Ingram said. In addition to local schools and health

services, there are many smaller community groups and cultural organisations that have benefited.

A $17,000 grant to the Cabramatta Community Centre will be used to employ a Vietnamese Community Development bilingual worker, while Learning Links will use their $20,000 donation to provide children with disabilities and learning difficulties the specialist learning support they need.

Other significant beneficiaries on the night included the Australian Red Cross which will use its $35,000 donation to fund the Good Start Breakfast Club and Telstra Child Flight which will use its $50,000 donation to provide emergency helicopter services for seriously ill and injured children. The Ted Noffs Foundation will use its $90,000 to continue work on the Street Uni as well as run and

manage workshops.

About 18 local public schools also received grants on the night including Fairvale, Cecil Hills, Fairfield and Cabramatta high schools and Harrington Street and Mt

Pritchard East public schools.