CEO Summer Message

School may be out for the year, but Ardoch’s work continues apace.

It’s been exciting to see the growth in Ardoch programs and partnerships this year. This is a real credit to the Ardoch staff team, the volunteers that deliver and support our programs, our corporate, philanthropic and community partners, every one of our individual donors and of course, our education partners who place great trust and confidence in Ardoch’s programs and their contribution to their students’ learning. It is proof that it does indeed ‘take a village’ to raise a child.

The expansion of our Education Volunteers program in New South Wales has been the highlightof the year. Other highlights are the welcoming of several new corporate partners, our partner ORIMA Research’s success in the Volunteering Victoria State Volunteer Awards “Employee Volunteering Award”, 20 percent growth in the number of our education partners, and the refinement of our 2025 Strategy, which will ensure our objectives and focus remain clear. I look forward to sharing more on this in the new year.

I would also like to highlight the recently released State of Early Learning in Australia 2019 reinforces the criticality of the first five years of a child’s life and the benefits of ‘inclusive, positive and rich early learning experiences’. I am therefore, particularly proud of the efforts of the Ardoch team to further develop and expand our early years programs with the valued support of a number of philanthropic partners.

I would also like to acknowledge Ardoch’s volunteers on International Volunteer Day. This year’s theme of ‘Volunteer for an Inclusive Future’ is apt. Ardoch volunteers do this every day and our end of year appeal is one way we can all show our thanks to the volunteers in delivering our literacy support programs.

Thank you for what you’ve helped us achieve in 2019.

All the best for the festive season.

Kylee Bates
Chief Executive Officer