Officeworks is a household name, particularly for young children and parents across the state. Through their commitment to the community, Officeworks has given patients at the RCH the opportunity to stay connected to their education despite being in hospital, thanks to their support of the RCH Education Institute.
A hospital can cause many disruptions to a child or young person’s life, including missing out on school. For patients at the RCH, the RCH Education Institute team play an essential part in bridging the gap between hospital, home and their education setting, a role that was especially important throughout continued COVID-19 restrictions and school closures.
The RCH Education Institute team, consisting of teachers, education consultants and additional learning support staff, cater for all learning abilities and levels from kindergarten through to secondary school. The team work closely with a patient’s enrolled school to make sure they can continue their learning and are able to transition back smoothly once they have been discharged from hospital.
Thanks to the generous support from Officeworks and their community during the 2020 Round Up to Make a Difference campaign, an incredible $63,820 was raised to support teachers at the Education Institute. Throughout July 2020, the Round Up to Make a Difference campaign allowed customers across a number of Melbourne
stores to round up the cost of their purchase and donate the difference to the RCH.
“Our annual Round Up to Make a Difference campaign forms part of our ongoing commitment to make a
positive difference and create meaningful connections in the communities where our team live and work,” said Alex Staley, Acting Executive General Manager People and Corporate Affairs.
“Team members from across Officeworks select an organisation that matters most to them from within their local communities to support through the campaign. This year, due to the significant impact of COVID-19, the focus was on two very important areas: health and education.”
“Being able to support both education and health through the RCH Education Institute means a lot to our team as they know the direct impact that it will have on sick children and young people,” Alex added.
Naomi McBride, Director of the Education Institute said she and the team were so grateful for the support, particularly when face to face teaching and learning were put on hold time and time again to maintain patient and teacher safety.
“We’re so grateful to Officeworks, their customers and the RCH Foundation for their ongoing support. Being able to keep our students engaged with their learning during this stressful time makes a huge difference to their overall happiness and is vital for their ongoing education,” Naomi said.
Officeworks were also a proud supporter of Me and UooUoo: The RCH150 Anniversary Art Trail project, sponsoring The Caravan of Being UooUoo, painted by Jeremy Blincoe.