"Gobsmacked" by community support

By Evan Wallace

Apr 18, 2022

The Seymour community has given the tick of approval to Goulburn Options Disability Support Services’ inaugural Easter hamper raffle.

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The raffle raised more than $5500 and Goulburn Options chief executive officer Melinda Burgess was “gobsmacked” by the fundraiser’s success.

“We were overwhelmed with the support we got for the raffle, by local businesses and also by the community,” she said.

“To see the support we've still got in the community is amazing as a not-for-profit community organisation. To continue to thrive and survive is to have that support for our participants to be part of the community, which is what we always want.”

The money, which was raised through an all-in fundraising effort from Goulburn Options staff, participants and volunteers, will be used to support activity transport costs.

“A lot of (NDIS participants) don't have funding and support for travel and transport and as we live in Seymour, travelling anywhere is quite a distance,” Ms Burgess said.

“So we looked at the opportunity of running the raffle to raise funds, to allow us to offer more activities where we could utilise our buses to take people to special places.

“Most recently, we had a group go to Bendigo overnight and they just had a ball.”

Instrumental in pitching and co-ordinating the raffle were support workers Jacinta Wilson and Roslyn Spencer.

Ms Wilson was “over the moon” by the raffle’s success and excited about how the funding could support Goulburn Options’ NDIS participants.

“For all the participants it will be new experiences for them and things that they can get out and enjoy. I just think it’s great for them all,” she said.

The raffle was drawn by sisters Rosie and Margaret “Bop” Sheppard, with Mark Manchester from Tallarook winning first prize, a hamper valued at $700.