The Scholarships
As a dad who lived as a solo parent for 8 years, I was witness to the struggles that solo parents face every day. Raising children alone can place an enormous amount of stress on a parent. In a 2 parent family, even though things can still be hard, there are two parents who can share the struggles and work through them together. In a solo parent family that struggle can often just fall on the shoulders of one parent and the pressure can be unbearable.
One of the biggest challenges solo parents face is the financial one. Often with just one income and in some cases little to no child support, just day to day expenses can be financially crippling. When you have other expenses on top of those such as the cost involved sending a student to high school, the expenses can just mount up and become insurmountable. I have faced this scenario during my time as a solo parent so I absolutely understand what people are going through.
Having been in a position where I had my back to the wall, I was broke, almost homeless, a full time solo dad and in my last year of my teaching degree, it was the compassion and kindness of an individual who helped to turn my life around. The kindness I was shown helped me to finish what I started and empower myself to make a better life for me and my 2 boys.
Having walked this path I am now in a position to help others on their journey. Today I have an amazing partner who was also a solo parent and between us we have 3 wonderful children. We want to help others by giving them a hand up. It is through our combined efforts and very generous donations from businesses and individuals that we are able to establish the Against the odds Scholarships.
The Helen Dallaston Scholarship
The Aaron D'Souza Scholarship
(Click the 'APPLY' tab to download scholarship application forms)
These scholarships are $1000 each and are awarded to a students from a solo parent family who despite the odds they face being raised in a solo parent household, have excellent attendance at school and show diligence, courage and resilience.
The scholarships will cover costs such as school fees, uniform, stationery, school camps and school trips.
We are still seeking further funding. Our goal is to reach $5000 so we can establish more scholarships.
One of the biggest challenges solo parents face is the financial one. Often with just one income and in some cases little to no child support, just day to day expenses can be financially crippling. When you have other expenses on top of those such as the cost involved sending a student to high school, the expenses can just mount up and become insurmountable. I have faced this scenario during my time as a solo parent so I absolutely understand what people are going through.
Having been in a position where I had my back to the wall, I was broke, almost homeless, a full time solo dad and in my last year of my teaching degree, it was the compassion and kindness of an individual who helped to turn my life around. The kindness I was shown helped me to finish what I started and empower myself to make a better life for me and my 2 boys.
Having walked this path I am now in a position to help others on their journey. Today I have an amazing partner who was also a solo parent and between us we have 3 wonderful children. We want to help others by giving them a hand up. It is through our combined efforts and very generous donations from businesses and individuals that we are able to establish the Against the odds Scholarships.
The Helen Dallaston Scholarship
The Aaron D'Souza Scholarship
(Click the 'APPLY' tab to download scholarship application forms)
These scholarships are $1000 each and are awarded to a students from a solo parent family who despite the odds they face being raised in a solo parent household, have excellent attendance at school and show diligence, courage and resilience.
The scholarships will cover costs such as school fees, uniform, stationery, school camps and school trips.
We are still seeking further funding. Our goal is to reach $5000 so we can establish more scholarships.
“Adversity and suffering are two of life’s greatest teachers. Through them we learn how we can grow”