VIEW HELPS CHILDREN LEAP INTO LITERACY
Hundreds of women in VIEW (Voice, Interests and Education of Women) clubs across the ACT and southern NSW are helping to foster a love of literature and reading in disadvantaged children this Christmas.
The women, representing 23 VIEW clubs in the region, have worked for months to create 1000 hand-stitched library bags packed with donated books, dictionaries and stationery.
The colourful bags and assorted picture books will be distributed to primary school children who are supported by The Smith Family’s Learning for Life scholarship program.
Club representatives will deliver the bags to The Smith Family offices in the ACT tomorrow (Friday, December 5), from 11am.
VIEW clubs are part of a nationwide, self-governed women's organisation formed in 1960 by The Smith Family as a service to women and the community. VIEW clubs began in Victoria in 1983.
Each year, VIEW clubs sponsor about 600 students and raise more than one million dollars for The Smith Family’s Learning for Life suite of programs, which give financially disadvantaged children and families access to educational opportunities.
VIEW national councellor Fiona Spottiswood said the library bags and books were the culmination of a year of meticulous volunteer work by the VIEW clubs.
“It is fantastic to see women working together across the 23 clubs on a project that will not only bring a little joy to children at Christmas, but also support the children’s education through the year to come,” Ms Spottiswood said.
“This project allowed the women to draw on their creativity and initiative and they were very much driven by the fact that they’re fostering a love of reading and literature in the children.”
Ms Spottiswood said the VIEW members were also supporting The Smith Family’s Toy and Book Appeal, the K-Mart Wishing Tree Appeal, and would participate in a children’s Christmas party at Government House (when? In which state?), and a family fun day.
VIEW national manager Heather Barton congratulated the women on an inspiring effort.
“These amazing, committed women are a crucial part of The Smith Family’s mission to create a better future for disadvantaged children through education,” Ms Barton said.
The library bags were created by the following VIEW clubs:
Braidwood Evening; Bungendore Evening; Crookwell Evening; Goulburn Day; Goulburn Evening; Lake George(Sutton); Queanbeyan Day; Queanbeyan Evening; Bombala Evening; Cooma Day; Cooma Evening; Tuggeranong Day; Tuggeranong Evening; Weston Creek; Woden; Belconnen Day; Belconnen Evening; Canberra City Evening (Lyneham); Canberra (Macquarie); Gungahlin Day; Gungahlin Evening; Yass Day; Yass Evening.
