For 30 years United Way Ballarat has united Ballarat to care for Ballarat. Raising money from sponsorship, individual donations and payroll giving, and then distributing that money back to the community via grants for community groups who work to meet needs across the Education, Income and Health focus areas. United Way Ballarat has recently launched the Ballarat Reads program. At its heart is a simple idea, improve the level of reading in Ballarat by mailing every child a free book, once a month until they go to school. By making these small investments in our children we make the biggest difference in their lives and in turn, our community as a whole.