A Hunter-based business is getting behind local sport and charity to benefit business and community.

The Greater Building Society has announced new partnerships with Father Chris Riley’s Youth Off The Streets, the Hunter Academy of Sport and local netball associations.

 

The Youth Off The Streets partnership will raise vital funds to help programs keep young people out of crisis and away from danger. In a first for both organisations, The Greater will donate $2 to Youth Off

The Streets every time someone opens one of its Life Saver youth banking accounts. The aim of the partnership is to raise $10,000.

 

On the sporting front, The Greater sponsored the major netball tournament held this month in Maitland as part of the nib Festival of Sport.

This tournament involved 260 netballers in 24 teams from Sydney and regional NSW. Two Hunter teams drawn from the Hunter Academy of Sport’s netball squad, which is this year sponsored by The Greater. The Greater is also funding more than a dozen local netball associations in the Hunter and regional NSW.

 

The Greater’s Greenhills Branch Manager Carolin Mackaway said the Maitland netball competition allowed local people to witness some high class netball and brought a boost to local business.

She said the Hunter Academy of Sport estimated the competition injected more than $275,000 into the Maitland tourism and hospitality sector alone with 2,000 bed days taken by players, coaches, family members and spectators.

 

Youth Off The Streets Founder and CEO Father Chris Riley said its partnership with the Greater had great synergy because it was all about helping young people unlock their full potential. Father Riley said the money raised will go toward outreach and educational programs that help disadvantaged young people. It builds on $280,000 in funding provided by The Greater’s Charitable Foundation over two years (2014 and 2015) for early intervention programs in the Hunter Valley.

 

He said one in six young Australians live in poverty, an unacceptable figure that can only be broken through education. “Getting young people to learn the value of money and to save for a better life is something that we try to teach the young people we work with,” Father Riley said.

 

Generous corporate supporters, like the Greater Building Society allow us to help more young people break free from this cycle,” he said.

The Greater’s CEO, Scott Morgan, said The Greater was continuing to support the great work done by Youth Off The Streets and local sporting bodies while also helping young people in the community to develop good savings habits without the burden of paying fees. He said thousands of netballers were also receiving Life Saver accounts from The Greater.

 

“As a customer owned banking organisation we like to make our products and profits work for customers and the community,” Mr Morgan said.