Caroline Chisholm Education Foundation trustees, from left, Chisholm Institute career counsellor Doug Wilkie, director and CEO Virginia Simmons, Bombardier Transportation director of sales and marketing Alan Burns, guest speaker at last month’s launch Phillip Adams and teacher in Food, Applied Science and Horticulture at Chisholm Institute Fred Hamilton.AN EDUCATION trust fund established to help disadvantaged students afford tertiary education in Dandenong was launched last month.
The Caroline Chisholm Education Foundation will aim to fundraise a pool of $1 million which it will offer either once-off or ongoing to students who have the capacity to study but may lack the funds to do so.
The fund is independent and run by a board of trustees, but linked to Chisholm Institute, which has already contributed funds and is offering eligible students scholarship places in its courses.
The foundation has more than $100,000 to commence its grant program this year, and already six scholarships have been awarded to students from two schools involved in the Beacon Foundation Regional No Dole program.
Those schools are Doveton Secondary College and Westernport Secondary College.
Each student will receive $2000 over two years to help pay for tuition, materials, tools and books for their course.
The foundation is anticipating another six schools will be involved in the program by 2008, and that more programs will be on offer once funds increase.
