Josephine Beats and her mother-in-law Amanda Beats started the Wimmera for a Drug-Free World group two years ago. The project has now been recognised as a nominee for the Victorian Regional Achievement and Community Awards under the Community Group of the Year Award category. 

Thousands of people across the Wimmera have come across the project’s message according to Josephine. 

“More than 50,000 booklets have been distributed to the residential mailboxes of Horsham, Stawell, Ararat, Laharum, Kaniva, Jeparit, Murtoa, Rupanyup, Wonwondah and many rural mailboxes surrounding the Grampians and Horsham area,” she said.

Josephine said her inspiration for the project was simple. 

“We want to get the truth out and our drugs-free educational material to the citizens of the Wimmera so they can evaluate and decide about drugs and their harmful effects for themselves and choose a drug-free safer, healthier lifestyle for them and the people around them,” she said. 

“We do mailbox booklet distributions, but to really reach everyone in our area we have since organised bigger campaigns such as the more than 14,000 booklets handed out over the Grampians Grape Escape weekend, and also a billboard with the Horsham Information Centre going up on the entrance to Horsham on the Western Highway which will be seen by 23,000+ people per day.”

Finalists will be presented and announced on October 26.