Alpine Refrigeration cements long-term commitment to Toowoomba with $60K donation to create community fund

1 September 2021

It is very exciting to be partnering with Toowoomba business Alpine Refrigeration and Air Conditioning to launch a new community fund that will provide annual grants to Darling Downs charities in perpetuity.

Alpine Refrigeration has made an initial $60,000 donation to establish the Alpine Community Fund, which will be administered by the Heritage Bank Charitable Foundation and fund annual grants. This announcement is even more significant as it is the first-ever sub-fund to be created under the Heritage Bank Charitable Foundation umbrella.

PHOTO: Paul Olds (Heritage Bank Charitable Foundation Executive Officer) with Ivan Walls (Alpine Refrigeration Managing Director) and Debbie Bailey (CEO Momentum Mental Health).

The first recipient of a grant from the Alpine Community Fund will be community mental health organisation Momentum Mental Health (formerly Toowoomba Clubhouse). 

Alpine Refrigeration has a long and proud history as a locally owned and operated business, as well as helping many Darling Downs residents stay warm in winter and cool in summer, Alpine is also well known for generously supporting local community groups and sporting teams.

Ivan Walls, Alpine’s Managing Director, is extremely proud of the support the company has always provided to the community.

He views the creation of the Alpine Community Fund as an exciting new addition to their current community support program.  

“We decided to create the Alpine Community Fund as it’s a great platform that will allow us to continue to make a difference well into the future. While we will still directly assist local charities now, the beauty of the Fund is it should still be helping people in 100 years’ time,” said Mr Walls.  

The Alpine Community Fund was created with a tax deductible donation to the Heritage Bank Charitable Foundation.  The Foundation manages the long-term investment of that contribution with the aim of producing income for annual donations to registered charities of Alpine’s recommendation.  

“I’m very pleased to announce that the first recipient of an Alpine Community Fund donation will be Momentum Mental Health. We have always been extremely impressed with the impact they achieve and the support they provide some of the most vulnerable in our community,” he said.

Momentum Mental Health is a community mental wellbeing organisation that provides one-to-one and group coaching support to people who want to work on their mental health and wellbeing. For 25 years the organisation has focused on delivering services for people with severe and persistent mental illness.

Momentum Mental Health CEO Debbie Bailey is thrilled and humbled to be the first recipient of this grant. 

“Mental Health and Wellbeing is so important and is becoming more widely spoken about but funds don’t always flow so easily into the sector. It is incredibly encouraging to have an organisation like Alpine recognise the importance of the work we do in this space and to follow that recognition with a financial contribution,” Ms Bailey said.

This grant will help us provide support to anyone who wants to work on their Mental Health and Wellbeing, even if they don’t fit the criteria for a funded program. Unfortunately, too many people fall through the cracks in our system or are turned away just when they need the support most.” 

Helping set up the Alpine Community Fund is a massive step forward in the Foundation’s mission of growing stronger communities, together.  We would like to thank Ivan and the Alpine team for having faith in the Foundation’s vision.  This collaboration ticks so many positive boxes for the local community, it’s a true win-win.    

A fund like this creates a crucial link between the charities that Alpine recommends, such as Momentum Mental Health, and Heritage Bank and the Foundation.  Any initiative the Alpine Community Fund supports will be backed by the combined strength of the Heritage Bank community.