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Wheels for Kids
Learning Links needs to purchase a new bus to help families who have children with learning disabilities, difficulties and developmental delays access the programs they need to help their growth and development.
Learning Links runs many programs that help these children and their families better cope with or overcome these difficulties. Early intervention is vital to the children as they struggle to do things that come naturally to their peers. |
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Their families also need significant support as they come to terms with their child's difficulties and learn strategies to help them better cope with or overcome them.
The main barrier to many families attending some of our Early Childhood programs is transport. Many of the families who attend our programs around Sydney are financially disadvantaged and have no car or the breadwinner takes the only car to work, leaving them without transport.
Public transport is often an expensive option and, if available, difficult to negotiate with young toddlers and babies in prams. In Sydney's west, public transport is poor and families have long distances to travel to use buses or trains. For these, it is easier not to bother. Learning Links recognised the need to provide transport to our programs for these young families to ensure they had regular access to the programs vital to helping their children' development.
In response we fitted a small bus with car seats and baby capsules and have offered free transport to the families who find it difficult to get to programs since 1999. Our driver, whom the families all know and trust, picks them up from and delivers them home to their door. It has become a lifeline to many of these families, some of whom are very isolated socially through not only their financial circumstances, but also having a child with a learning disability or developmental delay.
Our bus is now over seven years old and has travelled well over 150,000 kilometres over that time driving backwards and forwards across Sydney. We rely heavily on the bus each week for many programs that help children and families. We cannot afford for the bus to become mechanically unreliable and it is now threatening to do so.
This project will allow us to replace our old bus with a new one and will cover the cost of the new bus, on-road costs, fit-out for baby capsules and child safety seats, a trailer, and insurance and petrol for 2007 and 2008. The estimated budget for this project is $50,800. The impact on Learning Links and the children and families who attend our programs would be enormous.
External signage on the bus is available to a sponsor. The bus travels extensively around Sydney and all endeavours would be made to spread the word of your generosity, including a poster on the bus for our families to see.
Donations to Learning Links are tax deductible and receipted. You can give directly to this project.
How do I give?
Please send a cheque or your credit card details to:
Learning Links
12-14 Pindari Road
Peakhurst NSW 2210
(specifying that your donation is for "Wheels for Kids")
Or simply fill out the online donations form.
Is there an allowance for administrative fees? No, all money goes directly to fund Wheels for Kids.
Contact details for further information:
Robyn Collins, General Manager, Marketing & Fundraising
Telephone: (02) 8525 8249
Fax: (02) 9584 2054
Email: rcollins@learninglinks.org.au
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