Lilly is a vibrant 12-year-old ready to tackle high school with her eagerness for education. She values learning so much that she’s got big plans to mentor the next generation as a childcare educator.
Lilly is one focused go-getter. She even volunteers at a local childcare centre where she reads to little ones. But health issues cause Lilly to miss more days at school than her peers and living with financial hardship means she is facing extra barriers to reaching her potential. It’s tough for Lilly to engage in her own education as much as she’d like.
Lilly is one focused go-getter. She even volunteers at a local childcare centre where she reads to little ones. But health issues cause Lilly to miss more days at school than her peers and living with financial hardship means she is facing extra barriers to reaching her potential. It’s tough for Lilly to engage in her own education as much as she’d like.
Her mum, Bernadette, encourages Lilly’s zest for school. But she also wants to keep her daughter healthy. Sometimes staying home is the only way to be safe. “If there is a massive bug going around the school, I would have to keep her home because of her low immune system,” Bernadette says. “With The Smith Family and the programs they have got in place, it makes things a lot easier to be able to learn from home. She’s really come out of her shell.”
This has only been made possible through sponsorship. Like you, Lilly’s sponsors provide essential and generous support.
This has only been made possible through sponsorship. Like you, Lilly’s sponsors provide essential and generous support.
As part of her sponsorship, Lilly is paired with a Learning for Life Coordinator who works with the family to provide support and to help make sure Lilly’s got everything she needs to fully participate in her education.
“If you say, ‘This is the challenging hurdle’, her Coordinator will say, ‘Right, so how can we overcome this hurdle?’ It’s a relief when you can reach out and resolve that problem together,” says Bernadette.
“If you say, ‘This is the challenging hurdle’, her Coordinator will say, ‘Right, so how can we overcome this hurdle?’ It’s a relief when you can reach out and resolve that problem together,” says Bernadette.
