In October 2014, we applied for a grant from The Readings Foundation for our Aspire program, and we are very happy to announce we were successful!

The Readings Foundation was established by Readings Managing Director Mark Rubbo in 2008 to support Victorian individuals and organisations that wish to further the development of literacy, community work and the arts. In January 2015, ALF CEO, David Perrin, and Queensland Manager, Richard Muller, met with Mark Rubbo at the Readings Foundation office in Carlton, to personally receive the cheque and talk about the program (see picture).

Overall, eight grants were awarded funding for projects that will take place in 2015. We were delighted to hear that our application received an initial vote from every member of the board. The Readings Foundation Grant Officer, Tate Jerrems, said of the Aspire program “An amazing project focusing on just the right people, we wish you all the successes available to you and the girls involved”.

The Aspire program aims to bring Indigenous girls aged 14-18 years together for a weekly literacy & numeracy homework club, based in the Northern suburbs of Melbourne. The girls will attend ten special monthly camps where they will partake in extracurricular activities such as sport and horse riding, and they will also be invited to attend sessions with inspirational speakers (both Indigenous and non-Indigenous). The aims of this program are to improve literacy and numeracy competency, increase school attendance and improve the girls’ self-awareness and engagement in the community.

We would like to thank The Readings Foundation for their support of the program. To find out more about The Readings Foundation, please visit http://www.readings.com.au/the-readings-foundation.