In March, we announced the creation of two $500 Family Co. scholarships - one to go to a current or former client to empower them to achieve their education or career aspirations, and another to go to a local high school student (aged 16-18 years) who demonstrates social awareness and community leadership.

While all nominees were deserving of the awards, The Family Co. is delighted to announce that Hannah Murdoch from Woolooware High School has been their first Youth Leadership Award Scholarship. Nominated by her school Student Support Leader, Ms Moore, Hannah was described as an “incredible young woman who is highly active in her school community, volunteering for a range of causes, and has a passion for driving inclusion and belonging within the school.” Ms Moore said “It is very rare to see in someone as young as Hannah, her commitment and bravery in living selflessly and supporting others in all she does.”

In awarding the scholarship to Hannah, The Family Co. CEO Ashleigh Daines said “Hannah exemplifies the qualities and drive we were looking for in this award recipient.  We believe that the power of youth brings energy, passion and unique problem solving and we want to encourage young people to stand up in the community and actively work towards change.“

Hannah responded “I am so honoured to have been nominated by my school for this award, and to receive this recognition from The Family Co. is incredible." Hannah collected her award from The Family Co office at a presentation in front of Family Co. staff.

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Ashleigh also announced that the second (client) scholarship has also been awarded, but due to privacy reasons will not be announcing the name of the winner publicly. ”The Family Co. takes the privacy and dignity of our clients very seriously, but we have been delighted to award the Client scholarship to a local woman and mother, who after facing a traumatic history, continues to look to the future with hope and optimism, and most importantly, resilience and hard work. She has indicated the funds will be used to contribute to her education with very clear goals of how she intends to not only provide for her children, but be a role model to them and break the generational cycle of violence.”

In awarding this scholarship to this client, Ashleigh said “ Every day The Family Co. helps many women find their path forward out of toxic relationships, and supports them over an extended time period while they rebuild their lives. This scholarship is an extra way we can do this to help a women invest in herself, through education or career development. We also know when a mother is thriving the whole family succeeds, and by investing in women in this way, we are ensuring the success and sustainability of the whole family. While our financial support packages often cover educational essentials for children, this scholarship is the first time we’re delivering targeted help in this manner.” Ashleigh said.

The Family Co. intends to make these scholarships annual opportunities in the community, and will be a part of their annual International Women’s Day celebrations.

Local Newspaper, The Leader, covered the story here: https://www.theleader.com.au/story/8190290/family-hub-empowers-inspirational-change-makers