Smith Family volunteer shares in students success

For 16 years Beryl Jones has been coming into The Smith Family’s Victorian headquarters, lending a hand to help young people break the cycle of disadvantage and create better futures for themselves.

The Balwyn resident remembers when The Smith Family was a welfare organisation, and it was Beryl’s job to assist on reception with the many calls for emergency help.

The Smith Family now operates as Australia’s largest children’s education charity, supporting young people and their families throughout their schooling years.

“Volunteers like Beryl make an extraordinary contribution by providing support to the delivery of The Smith Family’s programs,” said Mr Anton Leschen, The Smith Family’s Victorian General Manager.

“In 2012, 7,745 volunteers gave over 417,603 hours of support to The Smith Family nationally. This was valued at $12.2million.

“It’s an astounding figure of generosity, and with National Volunteering Week just around the corner, we should all pause and reflect on the remarkable efforts of our volunteers.”

In 2012-13 the organisation reached over 6,500 young Victorians through its suite of learning and mentoring programs, as well as by providing financial sponsorship to help pay for educational expenses, such as books, stationery and school uniforms.

For Beryl, who is celebrating 16 years with The Smith Family, volunteering has enabled her to stay connected to the community and utilise her skills to make a difference to the lives of young Victorians.

“I’ve been volunteering at The Smith Family for nearly as long I’ve been a teacher,” Beryl said. “I taught for 22 years, and the charity appealed to me because of the focus on student learning.

“For the last 15 years I’ve acted as Volunteer Supervisor for The Smith Family’s student2student reading support program, which works to enhance the literacy skills of children and young people.

“I so enjoy the enthusiasm of the young readers and the wonderful feeling of being able to celebrate their achievements in learning.”

National Volunteering Week commences May 12. For those interested in volunteering for The Smith Family visit thesmithfamily.com.au