A big year in Monbulk wraps up

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The Community Bank Monbulk & District branch staff and board, wish the community a happy and healthy Christmas and New Year. (SUPPLIED)

We are all feeling positive and hopeful of an enjoyable 2023 with Christmas a few short weeks away.

This year has seen Community Bank Monbulk & District celebrate 10 years in Monbulk. We celebrated our 10th Birthday with a Family Fun Day and a Community night. Both were wonderful ways to celebrate the birthday with shareholders, customers and community.

The team are proud to have supported many community lead initiatives to help the town thrive. From supporting the Monbulk RSL with the purchase of a generator which was instrumental to the town during the power outages triggered by the storms in June 2021, to providing Open Door Pantry with funds towards the renovation of the pantry building located on the corner of David Hill Road and Moxhams Road, in conjunction with Carter Bros Fruit and Veg in Silvan we also donate fresh green grocery food to the Open Door Pantry on a weekly basis. There has also been support for local school mentoring programs, mental health programs, run community movie nights for local families and many other grassroot initiatives.

As an essential service Community Bank Monbulk & District have remained committed to the community.

‘We’re open and we’re here for you’ is their motto and staff have been fantastic, looking after customers and community groups to ensure we can help through this continuing financially challenging time. The team have remained focused on helping locals achieve their financial goals with our good old fashioned face to face service.

The Board of Directors gets to make the decision on how our funds are spent and really make a difference in Monbulk. The board of eight directors are locals and a great representation of the people in our community. Many are parents or grandparents and have many years of business and professional experience.

This year Community Bank Monbulk & District has remained focused on supporting our local clubs, groups and schools with our sponsorship and grants program. We are thrilled to have reached over $660,000 in community contributions since we opened in 2012.

Chairman Leo Koelewyn said, “Reaching the $660,000 mark is such a fantastic achievement for a community enterprise that many perceived as a far-off dream ten years ago.”

“We have taken this dream for a locally owned and operated bank and turned it into a reality, financially supporting hundreds of community initiatives in the process.

“Thanks to the support of our shareholders, branch staff, company board and customers we have been able to grow to be one of the biggest sources of community funding in Monbulk.”

Every year Community Bank Monbulk & District partners with the Monbulk Care Network and their annual Wishing Tree Christmas Present appeal.

The wishing tree is now in the branch and people can select a tag and help a local child in need this Christmas. We thank you in advance as every year we are humbled by the generosity of the Monbulk & District Community. We will also continue to take donations of non perishable goods for the Open Door Community Pantry which is doing fantastic work in our community assisting families and people with food.

Community Bank Monbulk & District are also proud supporters of this year’s Merry Monbulk Street Party. This fantastic community event is back after a few years away due to Covid restrictions. Run this year by the newly formed Monbulk Traders Association the event promises to be a fun filled family event coupled with late night trading.

Book the date into your diaries and we look forward to seeing you there!

On behalf of the Community Bank Monbulk & District branch staff and board, we wish our community a happy and healthy Christmas and New Year.