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Margaret’s caring for five promising futures

03 November 2023

Margaret thought her time of raising children was done. As a full-time working, single woman, she was in the office during the week and seeing her five grandchildren on the weekends when she could.

So when her grandchildren came into her permanent care in 2016, it was a sudden adjustment for the family. Margaret’s top priority was making sure her grandchildren had what they needed. No one was going to miss out in her family if Margaret could help it.

After researching options, Margaret and her grandchildren were connected with The Smith Family Learning for Life sponsorship.

"The sponsorship makes a huge difference because a lot of kids in disadvantaged situations don't necessarily get the same opportunities as other kids,” says Margaret.

"The sponsorship just adds to their quality of life, really. They’re able to go to school and not be separated by their circumstances.”

Margaret is a hard worker and providing for the family is her priority. Sponsorship has meant her grandchildren can have the same school essentials as their classmates. The costs of these resources certainly add up.

“It means they get the proper school uniform with the logo on it. Sponsorship is everything. It helps with getting to go on an excursion. With sports uniforms."

Sponsorship also provides additional support through our tailored learning and mentoring programs. For Angel, one of Margaret's grandchildren, it means she could participate in student2student, a reading program. This program pairs children experiencing disadvantage with a reading buddy to explore books and develop their reading and literacy skills beyond the school classroom. It has been a way for Angel to take the lead on her own journey with literacy in an engaging environment.
Angel in the library
“I like to read picture books with my reading buddy because the pictures help me read the words that are tricky,” says Angel.

Sponsorship provides wrap-around support for Margaret's grandchildren, including access to a Learning for Life Coordinator. They make sure Angel and her siblings have the opportunities they need to build their confidence at school in a personalised way.

“For many years we had the same Learning for Life Coordinator,” says Margaret. “And she was amazing – super amazing. Kept in contact a lot and kept us informed with all the programs and proactively went out of her way to make sure that the kids knew about different things that were being offered, giving the kids choices and options.”

As well as all the practical support from sponsorship, the children are always glad to hear from their sponsors and know other adults and families are in their corner.

“Another fantastic thing about the sponsors is they keep in touch with the kids,” Margaret says. “Some send a gift card at their birthdays or Christmas and the kids get to write back a card. They know there’s somebody else helping to support them and we really appreciate that help.”

“Thank you for supporting us,” Margaret says. “Without sponsors, these kids would miss out on so much.

“Thank you for your generosity and your help.”

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