Sanctuary Point Community Pride, Paint Shoalhaven REaD Black and Yellow and Lyrebird Preschool have each received $1000 grants under this year’s scheme.

Sanctuary Point Community Pride president Allen Kruse said the money would be used with the group’s Chill Out Youth Club.

“We have established a youth club in the old squash courts at the St Georges Basin Country Club,” he said “with the aim to provide a safe environment.

“We have various facilities like basketball, pool, table tennis, Xbox games and a bank of computers for children to do any school work or research.”

The youth club is currently available for school children from years 8 to 12, which will soon expand to include year 7 students.

The Paint Shoalhaven REaD Black and Yellow promotes literacy for young people.

“The program is operating across the country and has now come to the Shoalhaven,” said Melissa Wicks.

“In the Shoalhaven we will be launching a REad mascot on October 23 and our funding will go towards the launch of the program.

“Paint Shoalhaven REaD Black and Yellow is about getting communit events happening across the Shoalhaven that promotes reading.”

The REaDing mascot might visit schools, preschools, shopping centres, festivals and events to promote reading.

“There will also be reading boxes thorough the community which also promoting reading to children,” she said.

Lyrebird Preschool will use its grant to establish an outdoor art studio.

“We have been focusing on outdoor education, taking the indoors outdoor,” said Belinda Hibbert.

“We have a very natural playground and do a lot of bush program work with the kids and the art studio will allow us to do art outside in a covered space. We will be able to leave our art equipment set up all the time.”

The studio will also complement the preschool’s recently upgraded playground area.

Stockland’s 2017 Community Grants program will award more than $300,000 to local community groups and programs that aim to build more cohesive, connected, resilient communities.

This year Stockland awarded 320 grants to local community groups and not for-profit organisations across the country.

Now in its fourth year the community grants originally started within Stockland’s portfolio of 40 shopping centres across Australia, but has since expanded to include Stockland’s active residential community developments and its 65 retirement villages.

The program offers micro-funding to environmental groups, animal care and welfare groups, local charities, local sporting, special interest, seniors and social clubs and local primary and high schools seeking additional funds for special, community-based programs.

“Stockland is committed to the creation of sustainable communities. We have more than $15.8 billion invested in the real estate assets across Australia so this is a great opportunity for us to support the local people and groups that make good communities great,” a Stockland spokesperson said.

“Through our community grants and our Stockland CARE Foundation we recognise and support the important local community groups and organisations that make such a difference to the social fabric of where we live, work, shop and play, now and into the future.”

The community grants program has been running since 2014 and has distributing more than $950,000 to local community groups.