Storm join Fiji book drive
IN a powerful display of community commitment, the Melbourne Storm has announced a collaboration with the Fiji Book Drive to provide essential schoolbooks to Fijian students ahead of their groundbreaking trial match at Churchill Park later this month.
Storm CEO, Justin Rodski, along with Fiji-born prop, Tui Kamikamica, revealed the club’s dedication to supporting the Fiji Book Drive by actively encouraging donations and facilitating the delivery of books to students in need.
“We are fortunate to be in a position to help schools who are in need of important and basic educational resources through our partnership with Fiji Book Drive,” Rodski said.
“While there is a lot of interest in our game against the Knights, we wanted to find a way to have a genuine impact on those who need it most while we were in Fiji.
“Tui has been particularly passionate about giving back to the local community, and we hope that together with the Fiji Book Drive we can put a smile on the faces of young girls and boys at school who need these books most and give them a better education for the future.”
Kamikamica, fuelled by a profound passion for giving back to his local community, shared: “Together with the Fiji Book Drive, we aim to bring smiles to the faces of young girls and boys who require these books the most, offering them a pathway to a better education for the future.”
As part of their community engagement, Storm players will embark on visits to schools, local villages, and junior rugby league clubs in the days leading up to their clash with the Newcastle Knights on February 24.
Kamikamica will further strengthen the connection by visiting his home village during the week, accompanied by several Storm players.
Fiji Book Drive CEO Fiona Luth emphasised the notfor-profit’s mission to enhance educational outcomes and life opportunities for Fijian students, with a primary focus on literacy.
“The work of Fiji Book Drive has been described to me as ‘nation building’ by teachers in Fiji, having delivered almost 300,000 books to Fijian schools over 12 years,” Luth said.
“Whole islands in Fiji have been assisted with establishing library collections from Fiji Book Drive.
“Fiji Book Drive relies on donations to do this vitally important work so to help us do this work please head to our website www.fijibookdrive.org.”