Vouchers help students get back to school

STUDENTS and families in Geelong, Winchelsea, Torquay and Meredith are among those starting the 2022 school year with a little extra support.

This is thanks to the generosity of the Foundation for Rural Regional Renewal (FRRR) and its donors, and the community foundations and groups helping to distribute more than 15,700 Back to School vouchers across the country.

FRRR’s Back to School (BTS) program partners with community groups to provide $50 gift vouchers to local families in need.

The vouchers, distributed in the Geelong region by the Geelong Community Foundation, can be redeemed at select national retailers or local businesses for school essentials such as uniforms, shoes, school bags or stationery.

The Geelong Community Foundation’s partnership with a range of trusts and doundations, including the Glover Family Trust, delivered $102,000 worth of $50 Target vouchers this year.

The vouchers were distributed to many primary and secondary schools across the region, with consultation with wellbeing co-ordinators, teachers and principals ensuring the vouchers get to where they are needed most.

Now in its 18th year, the BTS program has worked with community organisations in rural communities to distribute more than $10.7 million in BTS vouchers and help in excess of 216,000 students and their families get what they need to start the school year on a positive note.

This includes families that have been affected by natural disasters such as 2019-20 Black Summer Fires, flooding events, and the economic impact of the COVID pandemic.

FRRR general manager of partnerships and services Sarah Matthee said the Back to School program continued to give a helping hand to rural, regional and remote families doing it tough.

“The unique aspect of the BTS program is that it taps into the deep understanding and the trusted relationships that local organisations have within their communities to ensure that these vouchers go to families most in need of the support,” Ms Matthee said.

“For many rural families, schooling and finances continue to be impacted by the pandemic. Although $50 may not seem much, that little bit of extra help can go towards easing their worries in some small way.”

All donations to the program go directly into purchasing a $50 voucher to support a primary or secondary school student in need.

BTS vouchers are funded through the support of FRRR donor partners, which include Portland House Foundation, Perpetual Foundation – Julian Flett Endowment, News Corp Australia, Fire Fight Australia Fund, Counter Point Community Services (Cycle Recycle), Bertalli Family Foundation, UNICEF Australia and Origin Energy Foundation, as well as private and individual donors.

For more information about the program or to support grant programs such as this, head to the FRRR’s website.