Over the past 18 months, life has become increasingly hard in communities all around the world as COVID-19 has had a disastrous impact on livelihoods, businesses and homes. The consequences of this pandemic include a setback in learning due to the closure of schools and difficulty in accessing educational resources.
Jeri Wambeek, co-founder of WAO Impact, and Kylie Schiffelbein, of LOCATE Inventory, decided to join forces to make a difference to 75 families and students in need in the community where the LOCATE team are from, Orange County, California.
A donation of US$20 will supply a student with a new backpack filled with school supplies and help children back to school and back to learning in Orange County.
As a resident of Orange Country and daughter of a teacher, Kylie Schiffelbein from LOCATE Inventory is very excited to participate in Backpacks for Success. “After balancing remote learning and financial uncertainty, a fresh start for the new school year can be an incredible
blessing for so many families in our community. The LOCATE team is grateful for the opportunity to work with WAO Impact and the Community Action Partnership to help close the education gap for low-income families in Orange County”.
WAO Impact is all about thinking globally and acting locally. We endeavour to make a difference – a positive impact – around the world, from our desk in Sydney, Australia, by partnering with great people, like the LOCATE team, and amazing charities, like the Community Action Partnership.
Jeri from WAO Impact shares why the Backpacks for Success campaign stuck a cord. “It was only 10 years ago this July, that I was a single mum with 3 young children (all under 4 years old), I had a glimpse of what it must be like for many of these families in Orange Country right now. I finally made the decision to leave a 9-year abusive relationship and left my home in the middle of the night with just a backpack and my kids. The following week they had to return to daycare and kindergarten with new backpacks and supplies. I was in a lucky position that I had my small Xero accounting business at the time and could afford to buy what they needed. Not everyone has that opportunity, so it’s important to me to help those in need as best we can.”
It is our mission in this campaign to help 75 families and students across Orange County, assisting the Community Action Partnership’s goal of helping 5000 students returning to school this summer.
From the bottom of our hearts, Kylie, Jeri and the wider LOCATE Inventory and WAO team members, say “Thank you”.
Get involved here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/waoimpact-locate