RAWCS has established the Rotary Australia Benevolent Society (ABN: 54 563 288 318) to assist Rotary Clubs and Rotary Districts within Australia to respond to needs within their own communities and to gain tax deductibility for donations made to their particular project. RABS is a public benevolent institution (PBI) with full Australian Taxation Office certification.
RABS will be administered on a National basis, fully utilising the RAWCS website to minimise administration costs.
RABS Projects can be registered by Australian Rotary Clubs and Rotary Districts who are of good standing with Rotary International. A Rotary Club can only register one RABS project at a time. An open project must be acquitted by RABS National before a new registration will be accepted. In addition to registrations by Clubs, Rotary Districts can register up to two District projects.
Rotary Clubs and Districts operating RABS projects are acting as agents for RAWCS Ltd.
What are the project criteria?
The ACNC Act requires that all Benevolent Society projects must address one of the following criteria that arouse the compassion of your community:
- Poverty
- Sickness
- Suffering
- Distress
- Misfortune
- Disability
- Destitution
- Helplessness
The main requirement for RABS projects is that they provide direct relief to people in need. If the clients are disadvantaged, the relief should target that disadvantage, i.e. a place to sleep for the homeless, food and money for those in poverty, counselling and support of those in distress.
In past years many Rotary Clubs were approached to assist individuals or groups in their Community who were in circumstances that warranted assistance beyond the capacity of a Rotary Club to assist. RABS allows a Rotary Club to set up a Tax Deductible fund to raise money to assist these situations by offering the opportunity for the public to support these causes through a sanctioned Rotary Project.
Following are examples of some existing successful RABS Projects in Eastern Region:-
To provide funds to allow Marny Cringle an active, self-sufficient young lady who unfortunately lost her leg in the United Kingdom in 1996 to be fitted with an appropriate, safe bionic leg
· To raise $40,000 to assist with the cost of a liver transplant for 14 months old Cooper Terrell who suffers from a rare genetic disorder known as cps1 – a urea cycle disorder.
· To raise funds for Dean Walsh who was seriously injured in a car accident and requires a special vehicle to get him to physiotherapy & medical attention to complete his rehabilitation.
· To provide financial assistance to individuals and families who have lost their homes in the October 2013 Bushfires.
· To provide essential oxygen facilities for Natalie Peek so that she will be able to come home from hospital after 44 months in hospital care.
· To provide travel expenses & funding for two family members to the Democratic Republic of Congo on compassionate grounds to attend to recovery of the body & burial of Abishay Djumapili.
If there is a need for this type of assistance in your Club’s area, Contact Alan Chesworth at alchessie151@bigpond.com for assistance with an application.