Students from the St Albans Secondary College have received a number of laptops as part of the Les Twentyman Foundation Back To School program.
The not-for-profit’s initiative has helped thousands of students stay in school by supplying laptops, books and essential supplies.
Recently, with support from the Keilor Shopping Centre, the foundation provided 19 laptops for local students.
St Albans Secondary College wellbeing coordinator Jess Brogan said local families were blessed to have an “incredible charity working tirelessly for their benefit”.
“Without the amazing efforts of the Les Twentyman Foundation, so many families in our community would go without,” she said.
“They’d face the heartbreaking challenge of sending their children to school without the resources they need — no books, no laptops, no stationery. These are things we often take for granted, but for some, they represent a huge burden.
“The joy, the relief, and the gratitude I see on the faces of these families when I deliver school supplies are priceless.”
In 2025 the Les Twentyman Foundation is expected to exhaust available resources in supporting close to 800 students with school supplies.
The organisation’s Chris Lacey said this will leave hundreds of families without the support “they so desperately need”.
“Requests for families requiring financial support have steadily increased as the cost-of-living crisis bites, with our Back To School program seeing an increase of 40 percent of students supported over the past two years,” he said.
“A major pressure point financially for parents and carers is the need to purchase laptops for their children.
“We currently have a waiting list of 150 children who at this point will not have a laptop to start the school year — without the laptop they will not be able to study at school.”
According to Ms Brogan, it is vital for the community to support the foundation.
“The real heroes are the incredible people behind the [foundation],” she said.
“[We need to] support them, knowing that every contribution, no matter how small, goes a long way in helping families breathe a little easier and helping children thrive in their education.”
For more information about the foundation, visit: ltfoundation.com.au/our-services/back-to-school-2/
