During our recent Winter Appeal, Chris walked into a Smith Family office and made a generous $10,000 donation.
When asked how he knew of The Smith Family, Chris explained that he had received support from The Smith Family as a teenager and credits it with helping him and his mum through a very rough time.
“When I was in my early teens, my parents divorced and I moved interstate with Mum. We didn’t have a lot of money and Mum wasn’t working. We were struggling to pay the rent, keep me in school and all of the other things. The assistance that The Smith Family provided just took some pressure off her,” says Chris.
Chris went on to complete a double degree in Economics and IT and landed a job he loves in IT security for the Government.
Although she shielded him from it, Chris recalls his mum being very worried about money, and he knows the support she received from The Smith Family made a huge difference. After losing his mum a couple of years ago, Chris found himself in a position to honour one of her greatest wishes.
“I’m certain the support made a big difference for Mum because she always remembered it. Up until the day she died, she told me that if she ever came into money, she would like to donate some to The Smith Family,” says Chris.
As a proud dad, Chris hopes his daughter will have every opportunity to achieve her own aspirations and he is glad to be in a position to help disadvantaged Australian children have the same chance.
“I think that everybody deserves an excellent education. So, if I can help someone else with that, then that would be great.”
