$100,000 for local community groups

More than a hundred thousand dollars has been been distributed to Western Bay community groups in the latest round of grants from BayTrust.

This week, the Foundation will distribute $101,000 to 14 local recipients.

Trust manager Bruce Cronin said efforts to help victims and communities deal with the effects of crime were to the fore, and $10,000 was granted to the Tauranga Moana Restorative Justice Trust.

Manager John Delaney said the BayTrust funding was "invaluable'' as it was a voluntary organisation that offered a free service.

He said the grant would help the expansion of its community engagement programme through the participation of trained community representatives in the restorative justice process.

A $10,000 grant towards operational costs also went to the Bay of Plenty Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Support Group.

ME/CFS is a condition with no known cure which has a debilitating effect on sufferers, affecting short- term memory, the ability to communicate effectively and causing headaches, body pain and sleep difficulties.

ME/CFS secretary and manager John Kelliher said the BayTrust grant was "hugely important'' and the group would  not be able to provide the service to their 300 Western and Eastern Bay members without their support.

The biggest grant has gone to the Western Bay of Plenty Youth Development Trust. The $15,000 grant will go towards towards Kiwican and Project K costs.

Other Western Bay groups receiving grants were:

NZ Garden & Artfest Trust ($10,000 guarantee against loss for the 2012 NZ Garden & Art Festival); The Kauri Centre ($10,000 towards operating costs); Kidz Need Dadz ($10,000 towards operating costs); Tauranga Art Gallery Trust  ($10,000 towards ArtBus costs); Maketu Ongatoro Wetland Society Inc. ($9,640 towards operating costs); Growing  Through Grief Tauranga ($5,000 towards operating costs); WBOP Disability Support ($4,000 towards advertising costs); Summerhill A1 Academy Ltd ($3,000 towards operating costs); Te Puke Community Hub Charitable Trust ($2,500 towards operating costs); Mt Maunganui Community Patrols ($1,500 towards operating costs) and La Leche League Katikati ($1,000 towards operating costs).

The Trust was established as the Trust Bank Bay of Plenty Community Trust in 1988, to manage a major investment in Trust Bank for the benefit of Bay of Plenty communities. It became BayTrust in 2006.