Dear Friends & Supporters
Welcome to the Spring 2024 edition of Mary’s News Today where you can read about the amazing impact of your partnership.
Your kind support is helping to reach the people who are living on the margins – people who are marginalised, displaced and often overlooked.
I’m pleased to share that thanks to you and the collective generosity of our donors, over $300,000 was raised for our end-of-financial-year fundraising appeal. Thank you!
Your kindness means we can help more people doing it tough like Kerry*. As a young mum living in regional NSW with her two children, Tom* and Emily*, she found herself unable to make ends meet. She was feeling desperate. But thanks to you, Kerry could turn to our expert Financial Inclusion team. Kerry met with Glen, our Financial Inclusion Officer, who helped her work through her financial distress.
I’m sure you’ll be delighted to hear how Kerry has been able to get her family’s life back on track. Kerry has started a part-time job that is helping to build up her self-confidence, Tom is now in school, and Emily is learning to walk.
We asked Kerry if she had a message for our wonderful supporters and here’s what she said:
“I wanted to learn more about money and to grow as a person. Glen has allowed me to open up about what I needed. I feel confident that there is more that I can do with my finances. Mary MacKillop Today has provided me with notebooks, a calculator, and budget planners. They’re small things but they’ve already made a big difference in my life.”
Sadly, the rising cost of living and financial hardship continues to take its toll on so many families — often on top of the loss of income and housing. That’s why your ongoing support is more appreciated than ever. Thank you for your continued care and compassion which is helping people turn their lives around for a brighter future.
The theme of this issue of Mary’s News Today is ‘Reaching the Margins’. This is a value inherent in all the wonderful work you make possible. From the life-changing projects you help fund in Australia to projects in some of the most remote and vulnerable parts of the world, your support reaches people who live each day on the margins of society.
Below are more uplifting stories like Kerry’s that I’m happy to share with you:
- The 30-year-old history of the Josephite Sisters working in Timor-Leste
- An introduction to our work with young Aboriginal people in the Kimberly
- Merewai in rural Fiji, who has been part of our women’s leadership program thanks to you
- In rural Peru the Youth Entrepreneurship Program aims go give students the tools and knowledge needed to develop skills relevant to their communities needs
- Meet a passionate and dedicated supporter, Tony
- We reflect on our Feast Day celebrations
I do hope you enjoy reading about the life-changing impact you make possible to the people we serve together. The truth is, we couldn’t keep doing this important work without you.
With gratitude,
Jane Woolford
Chief Executive Officer
*Name changed to protect privacy.
