Tasmanians to reap benefits of support from the ‘Pulse of Tasmania’

Bank of us, Tasplan and St.LukesHealth announced the first ‘Pulse of Tasmania’ grants  - $45,000 in total - to Tasmanian organisations on Tuesday, October 20 in Hobart.

FitEx, Dress for Success Hobart and Neighbourhood Houses Tasmania received grants to provide programs that support either Tasmanians’ physical, mental or financial health and well-being.

St.LukesHealth CEO Paul Lupo said the ‘Pulse of Tasmania’ was launched in May this year.

“We launched the Pulse when Tasmanians were reeling from the impacts of COVID-19, with the shared vision of helping Tasmanians to get back on their feet, said Mr Lupo.

Tasplan CEO Wayne Davy said the three organisations had committed $100,000 to support initiatives that would help shape the new normal.

“We’ve always been about helping Tasmanians, whether directly through products and services, or by contributions to and engagement with our local communities,” Mr Davy said.

“We take our responsibility to help Tasmania to get through these unprecedented times, very seriously.”

Bank of us CEO Paul Ranson said the ‘Pulse of Tasmania’ asked Tasmanians to tell their stories to guide the direction of the funding, 

“We wanted to help, but what we didn’t want to do was to assume to know what would be important to our communities, once we got through the worst of the pandemic,” Mr Ranson said.

CEO of Dress for Success Hobart, Amanda French shared their Pulse story.

“We know that there are more than 9000 Tasmanian women looking for work right now and we know that this number is rising every day,” said Ms French.

“The support from the ‘Pulse of Tasmania’ will allow Dress for Success Hobart to build on the initial success we have had in supporting women in the Tasmanian community to ensure that all women experiencing unemployment (or underemployment) have access to a network of support if they so wish.”

Mr Davy said the overall the response to the ‘Pulse of Tasmania’ was very telling.

“It confirmed what we’d been hearing more widely, that people were struggling to come to terms with the way their lives had changed due to the pandemic, but what we also heard were the stories of hope and resilience.

“We received many amazing stories, which is why we’ve also developed a digital magazine.

“We hope that overtime ‘The Pulse of Tasmania’ magazine will not only be known as the ‘home of the great Tasmanian story’ but that it will also become an invaluable resource for anyone seeking credible content about Tasmanians’ health and well-being.”

The ‘Pulse of Tasmania’ is supporting three initiatives in its first funding announcement, to help build a stronger and healthier future for Tasmanians. The supported programs are:

Dress for Success Hobart – the program empowers women in the Tasmanian community to obtain economic independence by providing them with work-appropriate attire, job support mentoring, access to career development workshops and a supportive network to enable them to achieve self-sufficiency through gainful employment. 

Neighbourhood Houses Tasmania – The peak body for the 35 Neighbourhood Houses around Tasmania. The funding will support Team Care workshops that are designed specifically for Neighbourhood House workers to support their mental health and wellbeing in the workplace and promote healthy team relationships.

FitEx - Tasmania’s leading health & fitness expo now hosts several ongoing community events, projects & initiatives. The Fitness Calendar, supported by the ‘Pulse of Tasmania’ funding, will provide Tasmanians with access to a variety of thoughtfully designed fitness, health & wellness sessions across Tasmania.