What AE said
"We're excited to announce our October AE Community Champion: Fun Friday Club, nominated by Erick Mugaa Mpuria, a Bachelor of Community Services student at our Melbourne campus and co-founder of the club. Founded in Melbourne in January 2025, Fun Friday Club brings people from different backgrounds together through fitness, mental health awareness and community activities."
AE's Student Experience team said the $2,000 sponsorship will help fund community fitness activities, mental health awareness initiatives, homelessness outreach and inclusive community events, including the club's Mental Wellness Marathon on 19 December.
The AE Community Champions program gives $2,000 every month to one community group, sports team, club or cultural event that an AE student is involved in. October was a close call: many nominations came in, and the club took it.
Where the $2,000 goes
The budget was itemised before we applied, so every dollar already has a job. This is the breakdown AE reads.
- $600 community fitness events: organising group walks, runs and sporting activities, buying equipment and providing refreshments.
- $500 homelessness outreach: buying food, hygiene products, clothing and other essential supplies for vulnerable community members.
- $400 mental health awareness: educational materials, awareness campaigns and community wellbeing activities.
- $300 community engagement and inclusion: helping people from different backgrounds take part in our activities and events.
- $200 promotional materials, event signage and other essential organisational expenses.
Every purchase is logged with a receipt against one of those five buckets, so the money stays where it was promised. The Mental Wellness Marathon on 19 December is the first big event the sponsorship pays for.
What happens next
- The sponsorship agreement and the payment schedule are being confirmed with AE. We will publish the details when they are signed.
- The $2,000 is paid to the club over 12 months, not in one payment, so it arrives as instalments.
- The money is administered by Fun Friday Club Inc. (ABN 17983456687, a Victorian incorporated association).
- The first spend is the marathon on 19 December: the fitness and mental health buckets, plus signage for the day.
- The homelessness outreach and inclusion buckets run through the Melbourne chapter's regular Friday walks.
AE takes $2,000 for the next round of nominations too: applications close Friday 20 November and the next winner is announced Tuesday 1 December.
Want to be part of it?
Come to a Friday walk, come to the marathon, or tell us what the outreach should reach first.