In 1982 a small group of Gladstone Power Station workers who cared about their community decided to form a contribution scheme for local charities and the Gladstone Community Charities Fund was born.
Over the past 30 years this registered public charity has managed to raise $420,000 through weekly contributions from its 140 members.
The fund aims to assist the most needy members of the Gladstone community, and since its inception, 45 worthwhile charities have received financial assistance. Some of these charities include Blue Nursing Service, Meals on Wheels, St Vincent de Paul Society, Red Cross, Salvation Army, Life Line, Gladstone Youth Crisis Centre, Roseberry Community Services, Calliope Rural Fire Brigade, Westow Rural Fire Brigade, Calliope and District Riding for the Disabled, Schools Chaplaincy Committee and the State Emergency Services.
Request for donations to the fund are currently based on two criteria:
- The organisation receiving the donation has the ability to meet the requirements of a public charity
- The donation will benefit people living in the Gladstone Regional Shire.
The fund is managed by a small group of workers at GPS who normally meet four times a year to distribute the money received from members via payroll deductions.
NRG supports the Gladstone Community Charities Fund through an annual subsidy to the fund.