Funds raised by Rotary Camberwell Sunday Market make huge impact

Those who visit the Rotary Camberwell Sunday Market and donate a gold coin upon entry may not realise just how much their contribution helps the community.

For more than 45 years, people have flocked to Rotary Camberwell Sunday Market to browse through the stalls bursting with retro treasures; to chat with vendors as lively as the goods they are selling; or to simply grab a coffee and donut and sit in the sunshine listening to buskers and soaking up the vibe of this Camberwell Junction institution.

As they enter the market, shoppers are greeted by the friendly members of Balwyn Rotary, accepting fundraising donations in their iconic yellow cups.

In addition to their gold coin entry donation, some shoppers throw in a little extra; others return to drop in the change from their coffee and donuts. Some shoppers who have picked up a real bargain, feel the need to share the generosity and give a little more.

Whatever their reason for giving, and no matter the size of their donations, visitors to the Rotary Camberwell Sunday Market have made a huge difference to people they have never met.

Close to home, donations benefit the local community, through the Boroondara Community Strengthening Grants program, which supports 80 – 90 local community service projects annually.

Other causes that receive support include the Box Hill Miniature Railway, Camcare, Fareshare, Autism Centre, Cerebral Palsy Education Project, community housing and Violence Free Families.

Yet, the fundraising also has a far greater reach, supporting Rotary International projects, including those in Timor Leste, a dental health project in Vietnam, artificial limbs for kids in the Congo, and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

Children and young people are often the recipients of donations, like the youth development grants of the Rotary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Tertiary Scholarships and Swinburne University of Technology scholarships for asylum seekers and refugees.

Secondary school public speaking competitions and national youth science forums also receive funding.

The program has provided medical research and equipment grants to help organisations such as Australian Rotary Health, Box Hill Hospital and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute.

Sunday Market hits $20m fundraising milestone

After running for more than 45 years, the Rotary Camberwell Sunday Market has reached the incredible fundraising total of $20 million.

Thanks to the support of regular stallholders and the visitors that patronise them, as well as the many gold coin donations on entry, the generosity of market-goers has helped many charitable causes, both locally and internationally.

A gold coin donation open entry may seem like a small ask, but when you consider the impact it has on charities in need, every little bit adds up.

In her book, Sunday Service: The Balwyn Rotary Camberwell Sunday Market, author Leah Annetta writes about the market’s significant contribution:

“Most of us drop our gold coin into the yellow cup… and plough headlong into the market on the trail of whatever takes our fancy.

“Few realise the ambitious charitable causes that these coins have funded over the… decades”.

As the fundraising efforts of the Rotary Camberwell Sunday Market hit the amazing $20 million milestone, it’s a celebration of every person who has dropped a gold coin donation into a yellow tin and those whose generosity has extended further.

From the families who have received food or medicine for the week, to the kids receiving educational scholarships that will set them up for life, those contributions make a world of difference.