National children’s education charity, The Smith Family, announces its first year of partnership with global recruitment specialists PageGroup’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program.The partnership was unveiled last week at the annual PageGroup AFL Grand Final Breakfast at The Arts Centre in Melbourne where The Smith Family’s Victorian General Manager, Anton Leschen addressed attendees with a moving statement on the charity’s cause: “The Smith Family steps into a disadvantaged child’s life while they are still at school, to help them get the most from their time there.”“We provide disadvantaged Australian children with tools and support they need to thrive at school. By supporting and investing in a child’s education, The Smith Family prevents them from experiencing a lifetime of poverty,” he said.PageGroup is partnering with The Smith Family to support tertiary students who are supported by the charity’s Learning for Life sponsorship program. The global recruitment firm, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, has pledged to raise funds through a series of activities. A raffle held at the event by PageGroup included great prizes from business partners including Seek and Crocmedia, as well as signed jumpers from the football league. The raffle initially raised AU$5,000 for The Smith Family. The amount was subsequently matched by PageGroup which brought the total to AU$10,000 in one morning.Matthew Gribble, Regional Managing Director, PageGroup was encouraged by the initial amount raised. “We would like to thank all the participants for their contribution. This marks the beginning of a meaningful partnership committed to invest resources and help young Australians break the cycle of disadvantage. It is an honour for us to contribute our decades of recruitment expertise towards the needs of a greater community. We would like to thank The Smith Family for their tireless work and we are grateful to be part of their worthy cause,” he said.The amount raised through the various fundraising activities will be assigned to 12 Learning for Life tertiary students in the first year of their studies. This will begin a three-year fundraising commitment by PageGroup to see these sponsored students through to the completion of their tertiary studies.These Learning for Life students are assigned to Michael Page teams in locations across Australia. Funded students across every state and territory will receive skilled training and support by PageGroup upon the completion of their studies. This includes resume writing tips, placement skills training and industry networking sessions to help graduates secure job opportunities.In addition, PageGroup will be participating a Stepathlon from September through to December, where every participating staff member will need to secure a minimum of AU$100 in sponsorship, to help raise money towards the target amount.
