Programs

Our social programs support communities in the municipalities within which we work.

Community sponsorships

Melbourne City Romp
Citywide was a major sponsor of the 2007 Melbourne City Romp which attracted thousands to Melbourne CBD in a giant treasure hunt.

Citywide managed a checkpoint in Fitzroy Gardens as well as providing cash sponsorship and a ‘Backyard Bonanza’ prize. All proceeds from the event go to the Burnet Institute, Australia’s leading medical research and public health institute specialising in infectious diseases and cancers. 

Family Life Open Garden Day
For 3 years Citywide has been an active supporter of the Family Life Open Garden Day event. Citywide Open Space team members gave informative presentations to Bayside locals on native plants and hot tips for caring for your garden in difficult drought conditions.

With all money raised going to Family Life, a not-for-profit community group supporting Bayside families at risk, this popular annual event allows locals to see some beautiful and unique gardens, and learn the practices employed by their owners to keep them looking good.

Uniting Care Community Veggie Patch
In December last year Uniting Care Connections launched a Community Veggie Patch opposite Croydon Civic Square in the City of Maroondah. Citywide’s parks team transformed the neglected garden into a veggie grower’s paradise, contributing knowledge, expertise and many hours of physical work. \

A major sponsor, Citywide also sponsored the project  with plants and materials.The Veggie Patch promotes healthy eating and addresses challenging issues around  social isolation in the local community. The Veggie Patch breaks down social barriers for Connections clients.

Sacred Heart Mission
Founded in 1982, St Kilda’s Sacred Heart Mission offers support to a wide variety of people who find themselves on the fringes of mainstream society, including meals, crisis support, health and personal care, and employment training. What began with the simple act of sharing a meal with a homeless man has grown into one of the most well known agencies in Melbourne.

As well as making financial contributions to the Mission, a number of Citywide employees donated their time throughout the year to lend a much needed hand in the Mission’s dining hall, which last year served 137,099 meals to disadvantaged families across Melbourne.

Community training and education programs

Friends of Bayside
Every year the Citywide team at the Bayside Community Nursery hold a number of training sessions for local volunteers and friends groups in the local area. Ranging in length from an hour to a full day, they cover everything from garden design to studies of Australian Natives, with past trips including a visit to the Royal Melbourne Zoo, Bayside Park and the Cranbourne Gardens. One of the more interesting sessions this year was held at Ecolink in Bacchus Marsh and taught the volunteers the art of plant micro-propagation (tissue culture).

National Tree Planting Day
In late July last year, the people of Bayside joined Citywide’s expert horticulturalists at Sandringham Harbour for National Tree Planting Day. The annual event sees community members return natural flora and fauna to the foreshore dunes. Each year, with the help of around 70 volunteers, Citywide bushland and nursery teams plant an average of 2000 indigenous seedlings. It’s a great way for local community members to learn more about gardening and natural heritage while meeting like-minded people.

Waste Education
Citywide’s Sustainability Manager provided Waste Education Consultancy services to the Cities of Melbourne and Manningham under our Waste Management Service Contracts.

The annual Waste Education Strategy developed for the City of Melbourne included an ongoing focus on improving recycling rates in multi level residential apartments. In partnership with Melbourne Inner City Management (MICM), we reviewed the effectiveness of recycling services and produced new colourful recycling stickers and signage with multi lingual information.

A survey of tenants’ recycling practices is planned for the next phase of the project to assist in further improvements to the service. Two more schools were provided with Waste Wise Schools certification during the year namely Carlton Primary School and University High School.