580 students across our region will each receive a $50 voucher through Border Trust’s annual Back-to-School Program.

The national program, facilitated by the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) is delivered locally by Border Trust with the support of Hume Bank and local donors.

Back to School 2023 – Border Trust

Run in conjunction with schools from across NE Victoria and Southern NSW, the Program provides $50 Target vouchers which are discreetly directed to those students most in-need.  This year, 65 regional schools registered to participate in the program, with requests more than doubling the number of vouchers available.

Kate Weiss, Border Trust’s Back-to-School coordinator said “At the start of every school year, we know many families feel the financial burden of competing priorities and increased costs.  The aim of the Back-to-School Program has always been to provide a small gift to enable the purchase of essential items that help a young person to feel confident amongst their peers.

We’d love to get to the stage where we could meet all requests, but we know that the schools will work hard to make sure that those most vulnerable students will benefit”.

As local sponsors of the program since 2021, Hume Bank acknowledges the need for all children to feel comfortable and prepared.  Chief Executive Officer Stephen Capello said: “At Hume Bank we understand the financial pressure back-to-school costs can have on some families.

That’s why we are proud to once again be the major sponsor of this initiative. We want all children and their families to be able to enjoy the excitement that a new school year brings, without worrying about the financial impact on the family budget.

We hope the $50 will go some way to help buying a new backpack, or a pair of shoes to help everyone equally enjoy the benefits education can bring.”

Border Trust’s Back-to-School region includes the NSW and Victorian LGA’s of Albury, Greater Hume, Federation, Wodonga, Towong and Indigo with vouchers totalling $564,600 distributed over the past 16 years.

The Back-to-School fundraising campaign is open year-round and provides local donors with a tangible way to directly support a young person or local family.  Further information: www.bordertrust.org.au/back to school or by contacting Kate at Border Trust katew@bordertrust.org.au