Xstrata Coal and The Smith Family give Toowoomba kids a boost
Xstrata Coal and The Smith Family give Toowoomba kids a boost
Xstrata Coal has boosted its community involvement in Toowoomba through a funding commitment to The Smith Family of $690,000. The support will help The Smith Family to increase learning opportunities for disadvantaged children across Queensland.
Working in partnership with The Smith Family, the three-year initiative will allow 50 tertiary level students to be supported through the organisation's Learning for Life program.
The Smith Family's Learning for Life program supports disadvantaged children by providing financial support for their education essentials plus access to mentoring and vital life skills programs to help them break the cycle of disadvantage.
Stephen Vines, Queensland General Manager for The Smith Family thanked Xstrata Coal saying, "Our partnership with Xstrata Coal will provide much needed support for disadvantaged students to aspire and achieve. The tertiary sponsorships will give students support with their education, both financial and emotional, to help them broaden their horizons and access further opportunities."
The partnership also includes funding to support a Learning for Life worker in Toowoomba. This will ensure that The Smith Family can continue to deliver education programs to approximately 290 children across the Toowoomba region.
The Smith Family's Learning for Life program has supported Toowoomba-based student, Kimberly, for almost seven years, contributing financial support and access to learning programs and helping her complete high school.
Kimberly is now studying at the University of Southern Queensland and she credits The Smith Family's Learning for Life program with helping her fulfill a dream of studying Journalism at university.
"I have been sponsored by The Smith Family for the past seven years. During that time I participated in many great initiatives including a peer-to-peer reading program, where I mentored a younger student to help them improve their reading, which was very rewarding. Thanks to the sponsorship I was able to afford school basics like textbooks, and it's given me the confidence to pursue my dream of studying journalism at the University of Southern Queensland, which I'm extremely grateful for," said Kimberly. *
Over 7000 students in Queensland are currently sponsored through The Smith Family, including 300 tertiary students.
Since 2009 Xstrata Coal has donated $560,000 to The Smith Family.
