Club president, Darren Bone presented Rural Outreach team member Mal Coutts with a donation of $3599.75 recently to support the Rural Outreach Program.

Mr Bone said the club wanted to show their appreciation of the Rural Outreach program and the support it provides to their community.

"We are able to provide this donation to the program thanks to the many Dimboola businesses who generously donated goods to our charity auction and raffle which was held at the Peter Taylor Memorial Barefoot tournament in February," he said.

"It was our goal to raise funds for local programs, including the Rural Outreach program, and we are pleased with the success of the raffle and to be able to support this essential program."

The Rural Outreach Program commenced in December 2018. The program is designed to improve the health and wellbeing of community members who are struggling to deal with tough times in their lives and support them with service navigation and assistance with a network of local services.

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Rural Outreach Worker Mal Coutts who accepted the generous donation from the Dimboola Boat and Water Ski Club is very grateful to them.

"I would like to thank all the hard working and thoughtful members of the Dimboola Boat and Water Ski Club for this donation and their ongoing support of the Rural Outreach Program," he said.

"This donation is crucial to support the Rural Outreach program which is available to community members in the Hindmarsh, Yarriambiack and West Wimmera Shires as well as within Horsham Rural City Council's local government areas.

"Mental health and wellbeing are a crucial issue, particularly in rural and remote communities.

"Sometimes we can help people just by having a chat and allowing them to get things off their chest, other times they might need a bit more support and we can help link them to the right services that can provide that assistance.

"Rural suicide causes enormous distress to individuals, families, workplaces and communities, we really need to focus on its prevention."

It is free to speak to a Rural Outreach worker and no referral is needed. To access the program, call 1300 688 732.

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