Our Community, Our Stories

I recently sat down with one of our Cooee participants to discuss how she was finding the group, and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of joy and fulfillment as she opened up about her experience.

A new approach to tackle the Bundaberg region’s surging domestic violence rate is set to launch in Bundaberg. IMPACT Community Services, Uniting Care & Family Relationship Centre and Family Law Pathways Network has announced their partnership with Griffith University Queensland to bring the MATE Bystander Program to the region.

Nicole Steffenhagen loves helping young people find their way in life and she's travelled halfway around the world to help Bundaberg's youth do just that. Nicole is a Youth Worker with IMPACT Community Services' Get Set for Work program, which offers an individualised service to young people aged between 15 and 19.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme provides Australians under the age of 65 with a permanent and significant disability with the reasonable and necessary support they need to enjoy life.

I remember turning 45 years old and thinking to myself, 'Is this what I want to do for the rest of my life?'
I was approaching my 20th anniversary with one the Big Four Banks. I was good at my job, my customers were loyal, I was financially in a strong position but still felt like there was something missing in my professional life.

Visiting numerous service providers and community groups to provide paperwork or documentation can be difficult, especially for families who may struggle with transport, child care options or long working hours.

Jannene Thorn knows a thing or two about lending a helping hand to those in need of support.

As human beings, we are inherently social creatures. We haven’t changed much from our ancestors, who hunted, travelled and thrived being part of a social group.

Providing documentation or receiving advice from multiple service providers can be a time consuming and exhausting process. Visiting one provider after another can take hours, if not days or weeks to complete, depending on one’s available time. That’s why IMPACT Community Services has decided to host a Community Hub.

We know the Bundaberg region has had one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the country for some time, and the rate of disengaged job seekers is a serious issue. In June 2020 national youth unemployment hit a 23-year high of 16.4 per cent. So how can we tackle this issue?

IMPACT Community Services has welcomed two new Directors to its Board. On Monday, Marketing and Business expert Giovanna Lever and CQUniversity Associate Vice-President for the Gladstone and Wide Bay Burnett Regions Luke Sinclair joined the not-for-profit, which now features nine Directors. The Bundaberg-based organisation has been helping people improve their lives since 1978 and last year helped more than 5000 people access life-changing supports.

Our senior citizens make up a large part of our community in Bundaberg. It’s important that the generations who helped build our region to what it is today are still treated as valued members of the community. That’s where our Community Visitors Scheme shines bright.

At the end of each year IMPACT Community Services celebrates milestone employment achievements with its staff. In December 2020 there were a number of employees who reached significant milestones with the organisation, and we thank each and every one of them for their dedication to our cause and their commitment to their work.

To celebrate the event, which runs over 11 days from March 3 to 14, we will be sharing a series of Q&A stories with some of our exceptional female staff from across the organisation. Today we introduce Leanne Rudd, Bundaberg businesswoman and Board Chair at IMPACT Community Services.

Congratulations to our February Containers for Change $50 voucher winner, Tom! Tom said it was his first time cashing in his eligible containers at IMPACT's Containers for Change facility on University Drive, but will certainly be back.