Take a Swing for Charity - The Story

Why hold a corporate golf day? Hundreds are held across Australia each year, mostly by individual organisations for business-to-business and marketing reasons. 

The City of Greater Dandenong-Industry Take a Swing for Charity golf day is unique. 

Facilitated through Council's South East Business Networks unit (SEBN), the industry golf day is held and supported by a community of Greater Dandenong businesses, to give back and pay forward.

“What drives us as sponsors to continue supporting golf day each year is to give back to the local community in which our businesses operate. Seeking the limelight is the last thing on our minds. The charities which golf day supports are the heroes. Take a Swing for Charity is a great way to network around a noble cause. And of course, it's a whole lot of fun on the day.” -Nirad Shah, Executive Chairman at KPJ Group. 

Origins

The concept of holding a charitable corporate golf day event took shape in 2008. 

At the time, the Greater Dandenong Food Alliance held a forum titled ‘Food for Everybody.’ Through SEBN, local business leaders attended a business breakfast which kicked off the daylong forum.

These industry attendees learnt about the worsening situation of food security in Greater Dandenong, and about the many agencies involved in food rescue and distribution. This was an eye opener for many, who had not realised the severity of this problem at their doorstep. 

Company directors from Gelpack and Foamco (now the KPJ Group) contacted SEBN and proposed SEBN hold an industry-led golf day to raise funds for food relief in Greater Dandenong. These companies were the event’s inaugural Gold Sponsors and have maintained this level of sponsorship since. 

The first Take a Swing for Charity event was held on 26 October 2009 at the Sandhurst Golf Club. In 2011, golf days were moved to the beginning of the year and have since been held in late February. 

To date, the golf day has raised almost $600,000 and these funds have been distributed to a total of 16 charities operating within the City of Greater Dandenong. 

A growing legacy

The model of Greater Dandenong’s business community coming together to support local charities is Take a Swing for Charity’s bedrock. 

One or more charities operating in the municipality are selected as beneficiaries of each annual event. Through these organisations, Take a Swing for Charity has helped thousands of community members, ranging individuals and families young and old experiencing poverty, homelessness, food insecurity, domestic violence, the challenges of a disability, insufficient health care or barriers to employment

Sponsors

The Take a Swing for Charity golf day would not be possible without all of its sponsors, from Gold, Silver and Bronze, as well as other ways local business can be involved. 

Since inception, the KPJ Group have been a Gold Sponsor and Grenda Group a Silver Sponsor.

Over the years, other Bronze and Silver Sponsors have included,

ARM Group, Ashfords Accountants, Aston Ryan and Malcolm, Bombardier Transportation, Erntec, Future Metals Recycling, J.J. Richards and Sons, Norden Conversion, Telstra Melbourne South, Wadeson IP and Ventura. 

Dandenong Nissan and Kia have been our Hole-in-One prize sponsor every golf day since it began in 2009 and also sponsor the putting competition. In 2022 both the putting competition and the hole-in-one were won. An excellent reason to participate in the golf day.