Helping Hand fund to aid COVID-19 affected clubs

by Bowls Australia on September 16, 2020

Bowls Australia (BA) is calling on the bowls community, and wider Australian community, to lend a ‘Helping Hand’ to bowls clubs left financially devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Helping Hand fund is an integral part of BA’s response to the $136.4M impact* to bowls clubs across the nation created by the COVID-19 shutdown.

Bowls prides itself on being the sport for all Australians, and as is the national ethos, lending a hand in times of need.

This pandemic has caused some serious stress on bowls clubs and many now find themselves in a position where they are in need of a helping hand simply to remain in existence.

Bowls clubs throughout the country, have been affected by the COVID-19 period, with 49% of clubs surveyed concerned about their future viability within six months and 75% fearful of their future prospects within one year, so BA are rallying for help to ensure the most impacted bowls clubs can continue to offer a welcoming environment and inclusive sport for the whole community, on the other side of this pandemic.

We know that some bowls clubs face daunting short-term viability, with club activity and income slashed due to the halt to social and competition bowls and bar trade, which are often the lifeblood for many volunteer-driven community clubs.

By contributing to the massive financial void imposed on the hardest hit clubs, we can ensure that they are able to return to a position of providing improved health and social outcomes for all Australians, particularly those of older Australians, who are especially susceptible to mental and physical health issues.

Helping Hand is your opportunity to play a critical role in getting bowls clubs, who are often the heartbeat of many regional and remote communities, back up and running.

This is your opportunity to shape the sport of bowls for future generations of Australians; with your support, we can ensure that bowls rebounds strongly in a post-COVID-19 environment.

Importantly, donations to the Helping Hand campaign are tax-deductible, through BA’s fundraising partnership with the Australian Sports Foundation.

If you are in a position to help, BA are calling on the whole bowls community, be it members of less-impacted clubs or even lovers of the odd game of barefoot bowls, to go above and beyond by donating to this important cause, to support BA’s COVID-19: Return to Bowls Plan and ensure the opportunity “for all Australians to engage with bowls during their lifetime.”

*A summary of the key findings obtained from this important COVID-19 national club survey can be viewed in an infographic here.

DONATE

• Donate via the Australian Sports Foundation

In recognition of donations:
$50 Donation
– Letter of Recognition from Bowls Australia President Bob Boorman and CEO Neil Dalrymple

$150 Donation
– Letter of Recognition from Bowls Australia President Bob Boorman and CEO Neil Dalrymple
– Acknowledgement of your donation on the ‘Helping Hand’ Online Recognition Board

Please show your support by making a tax-deductible donation today!