Thanks for support

I am writing to express my sincere gratitude to the Victorian community for their support of The Smith Family’s 2019 Winter Appeal.

In an inspiring display of empathy for the plight of Australian children living in poverty, we are deeply humbled by the generosity of the many Victorians who donated more than $1.3 million, to help us deliver vital outof-school learning and mentoring support, for thousands of students living in disadvantage.

This will be transformational for these children.

With one in six young Australians living below the poverty line today, it is heartwarming to see so many community members join us, to change the educational outcomes of these children.

Research tells us that one in four children from our most disadvantaged communities start school already behind in areas like literacy and numeracy.

Without intervention, the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students continues to grow.

By the age of 15, this gap is equivalent to around three years of schooling. But if a disadvantaged child has access to the right support at the right time during their studies, they will have a much more positive future.

The donations we received during our appeal will help us reach more than 3000 Victorian students in need, through programs such as iTrack and student2student, which encourage children to stay in school and make the most of their education.

And we know they’re working. Four in five students leaving school after taking part in our Learning for Life programs, are now in the workforce or pursuing further education.

Crucially these programs also rely on volunteers who across Australia, are working day in, day out to support children’s learning.

So to everyone who has altruistically given their time and dollars to support us, and so provide a helping hand to children in need, we extend a heartfelt thank you.

To find out more about The Smith Family and our work changing Australian children’s lives through education, visit thesmithfamily.com.au Anton Leschen General Manager – Victoria The Smith Family