The club has donated the money to Cooinda Family Support Group, which provides services to almost 600 families with disabled children.

Cooinda co-ordinator Sue Pringle said families could apply to take advantage of the funding for things such as vehicle modifications and communication devices.

“An example of that is today we had a communication device arrive from a company in Adelaide and that will assist a young boy who isn’t able to speak,” she said.

“He’ll be able to get his message across now using this new device.”

Ms Pringle said the communication device was valued at more than $4000, with the Commercial Club donation making a “huge difference” to families who would normally struggle to pay that amount.

“It has helped us to be able to make a difference and know that families locally have somewhere to go,” she said.

“Often there isn’t funding available from government sources for this type of equipment and philanthropic trusts have large waiting lists.

“I recently applied to a trust for several families and only one was successful, and they had many thousands of applications for a very small amount of funding.

“So knowing we have this funding available on the Border is quite a relief.”

Commercial Club general manager Jeff Duck said $50,000 had been donated to Cooinda every year for the past five years.

“There’s 500 or 600 families in Cooinda who have children with a disability and the board of management at the club sees it as a worthwhile cause because we’re helping those families in our local community,” he said.

Cooinda will move into its new home in Stanley Street, Wodonga, in the week starting August 16.

Ms Pringle said the service had been given a notice to vacate from its residence in Lawrence Street by August 20 after the building was sold.

Works will continue on a $150,000 extension of the Stanley Street building after the service moves in.