HAPPY: One of the recipients Sonya McKenzie with Luke Galvin and Phil Cutcliffe.
The start of the school year can be an exciting time, but for some families it can also become a time when the belts have to be tightened a little more to help cover expenses.
To help some of these families out, three years ago Westside Community Care began their Back to School charity program after a discussion with State Member for Bundamba Jo-Ann Miller.
“She pointed out one of the stressful points in the year for families was back to school,” Phil Cutcliffe from Westside Community Care said.
Pastor Cutcliffe said through the program, which is now in its third year, they tried to fundraise about $5000 which would help between 30 and 50 local families.
“Even state schools have their fees,” Pastor Cutcliffe said.
“It does put a bit of pressure on families.”
“The minimum grant we give is $100 and we go up to $200.”
The Back to School program relies almost 100 per cent on donations from the community and was recently given a boost by a Carole Park business after they donated $500 and sponsored five families.
Pastor Cutcliffe said Galvin Engineering had approached them to see how they could support a program regularly. Galvin Engineering principal Luke Galvin said the Back to School program allowed them to be proactive in the community and see immediate results.
“We process hundreds of jobs, and we’ve donated one dollar from each one last year since we began the program in May,” he said.
“The result is a $500 donation.”
