Community Projects – CBCA Queensland

Kaye Throssell Community Projects

What is it?

The community projects program was the brainchild of the late Kaye Throssell and commenced operating in the early 1990s. Kaye’s vision was to donate books to organisations and groups who provide services to children and young people who suffer from some form of disadvantage.

How does it work?

Our Qld Branch volunteers consult with an organisation to see how we can help, then appropriate books are acquired and presented ready for use.

How can you help?

There are many children’s support groups throughout Queensland that could benefit from the donation of quality books, and members are encouraged to contact us with their suggestions for our consideration. It would be great if we can take the vision of Kaye Throssell to disadvantaged children throughout Queensland. Please be involved if you can. Donations of suitable books that are in new or as new condition are always appreciated.

Judith Russell

Kaye Throssell Community Projects Co-ordinator
qld@cbca.org.au

2024 Projects

This year we donated the most books ever – 1405 books across three organisations, all very worthy and very grateful for our assistance.

We continued to support Ronald McDonald House by spplying 75 books over the year. We give them in small parcels, and they are distributed through their libraries at Herston, South Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Zephyr Education was the beneficiary of another 522 books for recreational reading. We visited them twice in their location at Tennyson. While most books are destined to go into homes of children who are transitioning through domestic shelters with their mothers, some stay in the shelters for short term use.

Our major project involved Life Without Barriers. We provided them with 808 books, categorised for different age groups and interest areas. This organisation has grown from supporting over 40 backpack requests to 1500 this year! This reflects the huge demand in assistance for young people in foster homes and in out-of-home care throughout Qld.

2023 Projects

Overall, the Community Projects provided two organisations with a grand total of 872 books.

Zephyr Education received 120 books. It was decided that we would continue to work with this into the following year as well.

We also supported Life Without Barriers again donating a total of 752 books for children and young people in out-of-home care.

2022 Projects

Life Without Barriers 626 books for children and young people in Out-Of-Home-Care, either in foster or residential care homes. Books were distributed throughout Queensland during Book Week as part of their Hook into Books campaign (August)

Brisbane Youth Education and Training Centre (within the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre) 100 books for teenagers for their library (June)

Ronald Mc Donald House Charities (SE Qld) – Herston 36 books were given to the library for families from country areas with seriously ill or injured children, or mothers with premature babies or experiencing difficult pregnancies (September)

Street Libraries at Wellington Point State High School (City of Redland) and Frenchville State School (Rockhampton) 72 preloved books in good condition were handed over (November 2020 and March 2021)

2021 Projects

Life Without Barriers 260 early childhood books to stock 6 of their Travelling Book Suitcases as part of their Hook into Books campaign (August)

Brisbane Youth Education and Training Centre (operating inside Brisbane Youth Detention Centre) 161 books for teenagers for their school library (July)

Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma (QPASTT) 250 books (20% culturally diverse/multilingual titles for children of refugee and asylum seeker families to learn English and retain their own first language) (July)

2020 Projects

QPASTT 431 books (January)

Drought Angels Chinchilla 26 books for a farming family in regional Qld (June)

Youth Plus Foundation 61 books for Flexi-Learning Centres

2019 Projects

Ronald Mc Donald House Charities (facilities at the Gold Coast University Hospital adjacent to the Children’s Ward and the Neo Natal Unit) 675 books for library for inpatients at the hospital and 160 books donated for adult family members

Youth Plus Foundation 165 books for Flexi-Learning Centres

2018 Project

Save the Children Australia 721 books for Doomadgee, a remote indigenous community. Used to stock a trailer re-purposed as a mobile library.

2017 Projects

The Unknown Project 130 preloved books were used for suitcase rummage events to raise funds to purchase school materials for refugee children helped by the Romero Centre

Save the Children Australia 820 books (divided between stocking for vans providing kindergarten services to children living in to caravan parks in regional Qld, new youth outreach centre in Mt Isa and Doomadgee in north-west Qld.

2016 Projects

Hummingbird House 80 books for their library

Ronald McDonald House 690 books for new house at South Brisbane

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