The Samuel Brett Nelson Kickstart Foundation trivia night on Saturday, June 15 raised $33,642 to continue funding programs for children in schools across the Great Lakes.
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Held at the Tuncurry Beach Bowling Club, the event attracted 290 people and sold out days before.
Founders of the charity and parents of the 10-year-old boy it was named after, Steve and Nikki Nelson, were blown away by the support they received.
"To raise that much money is incredible," Mrs Nelson said.
Held every two years, the night is a fun-filled occasion that not only sees attendants let their hair down and enjoy themselves, but also open their wallets to support a cause that positively impacts so many schoolchildren in the local community.
Football personality Andrew Paschalidis was on hand to MC this year and there were both live and silent auctions running through the night, offering everything from houseboat accommodation and signed sporting memorabilia to shares in a racehorse.
The charity's trademark balloons also sold generously throughout the night.
Mrs Nelson said the donations and support they received from local businesses and the larger community was overwhelming.
"We talk about a community spirit," she said.
"Everyone is there for each other."
The money raised from the night will continue to fund the impressive programs the charity offers at schools around the Great Lakes, such as their intensive swimming programs, guitar lessons for children with emotional needs, Confident Kids program at Forster MMA, intensive school soccer programs and soccer academy scholarships.
Mrs Nelson said they had also been in discussion with Mid North Coast Local Health District's Mental Health Service about introducing a resilience program to vulnerable primary school children, which they will trial first at Forster Public School before hopefully rolling it out at other schools around the Great Lakes.
While there are currently some resilience programs in place at high schools around the area, both Mr and Mrs Nelson believe offering such a service to children in primary schools would be extremely beneficial.
"Mental health is huge and can't be spoken about enough," Mr Nelson said.
The charity has also received donations from the Forster branches of both Commonwealth Bank Australia and Westpac, which will help them expand their programs into the Manning area.
Mr and Mrs Nelson said they would spend the next 12 months getting their programs systematised so they could be easily applied across schools, with the greater goal of growing their charity and positively impacting the lives of even more schoolchildren.
To find out more about the charity, click here.
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