Horsham Rural City Council (HRCC) opened its Community Events Grants Program on Wednesday 1 May, offering a significant boost to not-for-profit groups in the municipality.
The Event Grants Program is new for 2024 but has evolved from the annual Community Grants Program that has benefited countless groups in the past and has helped support many events that may not have been able to proceed without assistance.
One such event is the Wimmera Science and Engineering Challenge, which took place earlier this March at the Wimmera Machinery Field Days. The event is a collaboration between the University of Newcastle and the Rotary Club and has been running since 2000 across Australia. The challenge has catered to over 40,000 students Australia-wide and serves as fantastic entry point for rural students to find their interest in STEM fields.
"The funding is essential to the event," said Rotary Club of Horsham East's Tom Gallagher.
"It allows us to heavily subsidise the entry costs for schools and allow more schools to attend."
The two-day event saw 240 primary school students take part in a series of science and engineering challenges, with a further 75 secondary students participating on the following day.
"Why should our rural communities miss out on opportunities other kids get?" added Gallagher.
"It's important for kids to get the chance to find the love of science early".
