MORE than $1.2 million over 10 years has been awarded to communities across North East Victoria by Into Our Hands Foundation.

This significant milestone was celebrated on Friday December 2, with community members, donors, supporters, board members and staff gathering at REMEL 185 in Whorouly.

Into Our Hands was established through the vision and hard work of a local committee, representing a community badly impacted by the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.

The Foundation has built on that early commitment to develop a sustainable community foundation that will respond to the needs of North East Victoria.

Over the past 10 years the Foundation has awarded $1,253,279 in grant funding to 133 originations from 171 grants.

These grants made possible community building works, workshops and events, environmental projects, equipment purchases and youth projects.

The event celebrated the culmination of significant effort by Into Our Hands.

Over the past 18 months, the foundation has seen huge growth; with the establishment of several sub–funds, expanding the small operating team; large wins with successful grant submissions allowing large projects to be rolled out, namely the Digital Stories Project which was made possible with the amazing help of North East Media and their hardworking team.

North East Media has been the Into Our Hands Community Foundation partner in the community interviewing and recording donors, sub–fund holders, grantees and stakeholders, to help them gather the inspiring stories that typify the journey towards the foundation's growth and impact to date.

As part of this project an anniversary booklet was produced, showing the Into Our Hands origin story, sharing donor and grantee stories, and the overall impact that this foundation has made in the last decade.

Into Our Hands would like to thank everyone who took part in this project and to all the supporters who joined us to celebrate this achievement at REMEL 185.

Thank you to event speakers, Loretta Carroll AM who is the inaugural chair of the foundation's Board, Mike Noble and Marion Nash who operate the Garry Nash & Co. Community Fund, and to Lisa Neville, representing Alpine Health, Communities that Care, for sharing her experience working with Into Our Hands as a grantee.

For anyone who is interested in reading the anniversary book or to watch the impact stories visit https://intoourhandsfoundation.com.au/.

For more information, contact Executive Officer Peter McCabe at eo@intoourhands.com.au or call 0466 252 866.

PHOTOS: Sarah Craven Photography