Our learning support and mentoring programs in 90 Australian communities directly help children in need achieve their goals through education.
View all programs Annabel’s enchanting story of support
11 November 2024
From the time Annabel was born, her family has supported The Smith Family. Having experienced poverty as a child, Annabel’s mum, Tanya, shared her story with her daughter.
Tanya told her how she had grown up in a family who couldn’t afford school excursions and uniforms. Sometimes they couldn’t afford school shoes. These are essentials every child deserves and needs to feel a part of the school community.
Tanya had worked hard to complete her education and help her parents with living costs. She even had 5 jobs while in high school.
“Mum often tells us how fortunate we are to have access to education. She tells us that kids often miss out on the things we get, and this impacts their futures,” Annabel says.
Touched by her own mum’s story of overcoming disadvantage, Annabel wanted to help in her own way. In Year 3, the creative student wrote The Wish Tree as a short story project for school. It gave her a unique fundraising idea. She wanted to make sure other children had access to resources and opportunities to do well at school. So, she looked into options for publishing her enchanting tale of fairies, goblins and pixies.
Mum suggested we could publish my book as part of the project. I wanted to be able to sell it. And mum suggested we could donate money to a charity to help change lives. So, we chose The Smith Family
Annabel’s determination brought the story to life as a published book for children aged 4 to 10 years. The funds support The Smith Family’s out of school programs, such as Learning Clubs and student2student. Annabel’s book is helping to create opportunities for children and young people to connect with school and reach their potential.
Not afraid to say it was a lot of work, Annabel stayed focused on her belief that students should have what they need to get the most out of their education. Annabel is excited that her story could create change for other children who deserve to choose their futures.
Annabel’s now a published author, with The Wish Tree available to order online to raise funds for The Smith Family programs. Thanks to our supporters like Annabel, our programs can support more children to break down the barriers of poverty and access opportunities to write their own stories of brighter futures.
To find out what happens when the diamond of the goblins is stolen, go to Amazon and search for “The Wish Tree”.
When kids have help with basic school stuff, it takes a bit of pressure off the family. This will help their futures. We want to help others achieve their dreams. And I hope it makes The Smith Family a lot of money!
