Children attending schools on the North Coast of NSW have been able to resume their normal studies after floods wreaked havoc, on up to three occasions earlier this year.
The floods devastated homes and infrastructure across the community, including many classrooms across multiple schools in the region.
When Schools Plus launched their Recovery appeal, The Greater Charitable Foundation was able to rapidly respond and support schools like Ballina Coast High School and children and families living in the region.
The Foundation’s support enabled schools to replace critical infrastructure including furniture, laptops, musical instruments, textbooks and library books, many of which were damaged or disappeared during the floods.
However, it was not just educational resources that were impacted by the floods. Children lost hours of learning, and many were significantly impacted by mental health and wellbeing issues because of the recurrence of the floods over several weeks.
The Greater Charitable Foundation’s donation of $20,000 provided critically needed support during these very challenging circumstances for children, families and teachers living in the region.
Greater Charitable Foundation CEO, Anne Long, said that like many people across the state they were devastated by the catastrophic flooding across the Northern Rivers region and the impact it had on the lives of so many people.
“The NSW Northern Rivers region has long been part of Greater Bank’s network. With some of our customers and employees significantly impacted by these events, we felt a sense of responsibility to play a role in the recovery efforts,” Anne said.
“The partnership with Schools Plus enabled us to support to a rapid response to schools like Ballina Coast High School, that play such an important role in rebuilding communities.
“Schools are not only a place of education but provide a safe environment and a sense of structure and consistency for all students, which is incredibly important when much of their lives have been disrupted.”
Rosemary Conn, CEO of Schools Plus, commented: “We are so grateful to have been able to partner with The Greater Charitable Foundation to deliver this invaluable recovery support to schools like Ballina Coast High School. Our work to support families and children in this kind of crisis is a key component of our educational work – and having wonderful partners like The Greater Charitable Foundation are key to us being able to respond at pace."