Charity bounces back from brink to win Chamber honour

GPAI founders Darrell and Michelle Dalton.

A NAMBOUR charity which feared for its future earlier this year has capped a remarkable turnaround by being named the Nambour Chamber of Commerce Business of the Month.

Golf Programs Australia Incorporated was presented with the award at the Chamber’s September 3 breakfast, after being nominated by the previous winner, Kat Wilkinson from FitKat Gym.

GPAI founders Darrell and Michelle Dalton have operated the charity in Nambour for more than a decade, using golf and other activities to create opportunities for people with disabilities.

Chamber vice-president Brian Bugenhagen said the organisation’s work went well beyond teaching people to play sport. “Their athletes aren’t just participants in a program, they are family, and you can see that in everything they do,” he said. “Their vision is not just about teaching someone how to play golf. It’s about inclusion, dignity, employment, independence and belonging.”

Mr Dalton revealed the organisation had come dangerously close to collapse earlier in the year. “It’s been a challenging year for our charity,” he said. “We were on the verge of collapse, I guess, earlier in the year, but we managed to pivot.”

The charity was forced to relocate its Nambour base but managed to remain in Currie Street, moving only a short distance from its former premises.

Mr Dalton said despite the turmoil, GPAI had not missed one of its weekly programs or Special Olympics activities. “Our committee and our volunteers and our students, they carried us forward in that difficult time,” he said. “And here we are today.”

He credited support from the Nambour business community with helping the organisation survive. “Without being embraced by our business community, without that support, I don’t think that we would’ve made it,” he said.

Michelle Dalton was equally grateful for the support they had received. “During our time of trouble, the Nambour Chamber of Commerce came to our aid,” she said. “One thing that people do in the community is when there are difficult times, they come together.”

Mrs Dalton said she had been involved with numerous chambers over the years but had never experienced one like Nambour’s. “This is the best chamber of commerce I’ve ever been a part of,” she said.

GPAI was established in 2015 and remains based in Nambour.

Mr Bugenhagen said the Daltons had demonstrated remarkable persistence despite the difficulties involved in running a charity. “They simply keep going,” he said. “They keep believing. They keep creating opportunities.”