A Dream Worth Fighting For

Daniel’s* teachers call him compassionate and intelligent. They say he has a bright future ahead of him. But what they see is just the smallest part of Daniel’s life.

He works really hard, and does all he can to support his mum, who’s carrying the weight of their family world. His dad is fighting to stay present and involved in their lives. Daniel does what he can to help with his siblings, who look up to him.

From the kitchen in their home, Daniel can hear his mother helping his father get comfortable. Brain cancer has stolen so much from their family already – his dad’s energy, his ability to work, the simple joy of an ordinary day. The disease is relentless, progressively taking everything his father once took for granted.

Daniel’s mum had been working, bringing in steady income, building toward a future. But when his dad got sick, she had to make an impossible choice. Now she’s a full-time caregiver to her husband and children, and the family’s financial security disappeared overnight.

“Every dollar goes to survival,” his mum would later write in their application for help. “Medical appointments, trips back and forth for his dad’s care, and the daily costs of raising four children.”

There’s no room in that budget for school fees. There’s barely room for hope.

But Daniel does hope. He dreams of becoming a lawyer one day, or perhaps running a family business alongside his siblings. His parents had always dreamt of a Catholic School education for their children, and they know that the inclusive, wrap-around support will be even more crucial in the coming years. They can imagine Daniel surrounded by teachers who share his values and friends who understand his faith. But that dream is impossible in their current situation.

This is where Daniel’s story could change. This is where the Mary MacKillop Bursary Fund makes a real difference in student’s lives.

The MacKillop Bursary Fund was created for moments exactly like this. When a child’s potential is being held back not by lack of ability or desire, but by circumstances completely beyond their control. When a family is doing everything right but still can’t catch a break. When hope needs a helping hand.

Right now, the MacKillop Fund supports more than 125 students, covering tuition, books, uniforms, and resources throughout their entire schooling. Once a child receives a bursary, that support continues year after year until they graduate or until their family is back on their feet.

Every year, there are more families like Daniel’s reaching out – families in severe hardship, families fleeing domestic violence, refugee and immigrant families, single parents who’ve lost their partners. Each application tells a different story, but they all share the same desperate hope: that their children will have the chance to receive a quality Catholic education in an environment where they are seen, heard, and cared for.

Your tax-deductible donation to the MacKillop Bursary Fund tells a child like Daniel that his dreams matter. It gives his parents peace of mind during the hardest season of their lives. It ensures that potential, not poverty, defines a child’s future.

Together, we can be the reason Daniel walks through those school doors next year. We can be the reason his hope stays alive.

*The names and identifying details of bursary recipients are changed to protect their privacy, but their stories and the impact of your support are very real.