Pictured above: 2024 NRL Cowboys House graduates Makeilla Gibson (Cooktown, Queensland) and Bruce Baudu (Yam Island, Torres Strait) are shining examples of the program’s outcomes in removing barriers to education and employment. Geared Up Culcha’s fundraising efforts are supporting the Cowboys Community Foundation’s life-changing programs, including NRL Cowboys House. For more information on the program, visit cowboysfoundation.org.au/house.
Geared Up Culcha (GUC) is excited to announce that it will be raising funds for the Cowboys Community Foundation, the charity arm of the North Queensland Cowboys, one of 17 clubs in the National Rugby League (NRL). As part of its mission to give back to Indigenous communities, Geared Up Culcha will donate three percent of sales from its GUC Industrial™ products, including its new silicone sealants range, to the Cowboys Community Foundation.
Established in 2015, the Cowboys Community Foundation delivers outcome-driven community programs, including NRL Cowboys House, a unique, culturally-safe boarding facility for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women attending secondary schools in Townsville.
The House provides a wraparound model of care for 105 young people from remote and very remote communities, removing geographic location as a barrier to education and further training and employment opportunities.
With 83 students graduating since the House opened in 2017, the Cowboys Community Foundation and NRL Cowboys House recently opened their Graduate Campus, providing integrated accommodation and support services for Year 13 graduates on their journey to independence after completing Year 12.
For Geared Up Culcha, it’s a cause that is central to the core values of its business and a further opportunity to give back to First Nations communities.
“Employment means empowerment, and helps overcome the disadvantages faced by Indigenous Australians, who have historically experienced obstacles to accessing education and employment,” says Paul Dodd, Executive Director of Geared Up Culcha, and a proud Bundjalung man with traditional kinship ties to Wirri and Birriah First Nations peoples of Queensland. “The Cowboys Community Foundation’s programs align with our vision of giving back to community, by helping create pathways to meaningful work which can assist in breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty for First Nations people.”
“We’re proud of our heritage as an Indigenous business that has provided employment pathways for First Nations peoples,” continues Paul. “Over one-third of our team members identify as Indigenous, and in over twelve years since we established the business, we have welcomed over 20 Indigenous trainees through our doors, some of whom remained with the business as permanent employees, others who have gone on to the next step in their career journey.”
Pictured above: Three percent of sales from Geared Up Culcha’s new GUC Industrial™ silicones range will go to the Cowboys Community Foundation.
Cowboys Community Foundation CEO Fiona Pelling said the charity was delighted to be teaming up with Geared Up Culcha to deliver shared outcomes.
“We are extremely grateful to have been chosen by Paul and his team as beneficiaries of their fantastic fundraising efforts through sales of their new product range. This is a generous gesture and one we highly value, particularly as we are both working to remove barriers for First Nations peoples,” Fiona said.
“NRL Cowboys House has successfully supported First Nations students in achieving education outcomes and personal development since we began, and while our graduates from 29 communities are equipped with skills and credentials, they still face significant barriers in transitioning to independence due to a lack of suitable housing options.
“Through our new NRL Cowboys House Graduate Campus, we’re able to support up to 30 students by providing integrated support and stable housing, and with these facilities fully funded by our charity, it’s the commitment from for-purpose organisations like Geared Up Culcha that make this life-changing opportunity possible.”
To learn more about the Cowboys Community Foundation, visit them here.