Rotary Flemington Kensington has funded the second car for Moonee Valley Council’s L2P Program (Learners to Provisional) which assists learner drivers in fulfilling the pre-licence test requirement of 120 hours supervised driving. This car increases capacity and access for learners and mentors living in Ascot Vale and Flemington where many young people do not have access to either a car or a supervisor driver.
Moonee Valley Council’s Youth Fest was the perfect opportunity for the launch of the new car. In brilliant sunshine, Mayor Pierce Tyson performed the formal ribbon cutting with Cr Rose Iser, District Governor Ron Payne, and Rotary Flemington Kensington President Shraddha Sharma. Deb Payne, club members, and Moonee Valley councilors also participated.The car, a Kia Rio, proudly wears the Rotary Flemington Kensington branding along with L2P and Moonee Valley Council.
The demand for the L2P program is currently over-capacity, with 25 students enrolled and over 100 on the waiting list.
Moonee Valley has a large number of young people from less advantaged communities, many living in social housing. These young people do not have access to a car or an adult who can supervise them for the 120 hours of supervised driving. The $30,000 for this donation was raised in 2013-14 when the club participated in a sausage sizzle for the Metro Rail Link upgrade, providing a breakfast BBQ, fruit, and drinks for commuters being bussed from the Werribee line to Flemington racecourse.
The club had been searching for a major community project for some time and the existing partnership with Moonee Valley and our involvement in the learner driver program was a good fit.
Moonee Valley Council is a corporate partner of Rotary Flemington Kensington and they have worked together at many events and activities over the years, and partnering on a number of previous projects. When the need for another vehicle for the L2P program was discovered, the Club agreed to put the funds raised in 2013 to this great program.
Author: Lesley McCarthy, Rotary Flemington Kensington