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The Tom McCabe Fund highlights the
connectedness and shared humanity embodied in Australian
multiculturalism and typifies the work undertaken by the New Hope
Foundation at a grassroots community level.
TOM McCABE
31.10.85 –
27.03.05
Tom was a funny, gentle and respected 19 year
old who had studied his VCE by distance education at DECV Thornbury
while living in Hong Kong with his mother. With all of the
distractions of that city, he passed at the end of 2004 and had
commenced a Bachelor of Business (Event Management) in Melbourne
this year. He was very excited about his course as he loved music
and was looking forward to a career in the event management
industry either here or in his beloved Hong
Kong.
Before Easter, we had heard an interview in
Melbourne on 774 about a refugee family from Liberia who had just
arrived in Australia after waiting for 14 years in a refugee camp
in Guinea. We talked about it and about our relative prosperity. We
could not imagine what this mother had been through with her
children. The family had arrived in Australia in January 2005 and
settled into their new home when suddenly the mother died and left
19 year old Joseph to support his siblings. Touched by this story,
Tom decided to donate his Playstation and some other big boy items
while I had bedding and kitchen things which would be
useful.
Then Tom was
accidentally killed by a vehicle on Easter
Sunday.
I kept my promise to support Joseph. When I
met Joseph and his family, this time I was able to give him many
more items which had been donated since Tom’s death, more of Tom’s
treasured things and a sum of money collected at Tom’s
“Celebration” to start up a savings account for them. ELTHAM
College of Education in Research are also actively assisting
Joseph’s family and the New Hope Foundation with education support
and mentoring.
The New Hope Foundation has put in place the
Tom McCabe Fund for Refugee
Youth which
is to assist with education and recreation needs. I urge readers to
support this fund in whatever way they
can.
Carol
McCabe
(Mother of
Tom)
Assisting
refugee youth with educational, recreational, sporting and cultural
needs.
The Tom McCabe Fund for Refugee Youth assists
youth who migrate to Australia under the Humanitarian Program.
These families have been forced to flee their homeland due to
war, famine and other long-term tragic
circumstances.
They embark on a new journey and arrive in
Australia with only a few possessions and very little money.
Adjusting to life in Australia isn't easy and there are many
difficulties and challenges they
experience.
The New Hope Foundation, with many years of
experience assisting refugees and migrants integrate harmoniously
into Victorian society, has established the Tom McCabe Fund for
Refugee Youth.
This fund assists those families who are
unable to support their children with educational, recreational,
sporting or cultural expenses. Donations go towards buying
items such as school uniforms, text books or sporting and
recreational needs like joining a local soccer
club.
Donations to the Tom McCabe Fund may be made
by cheque payable to the
Tom McCabe
Fund
C/o The New Hope Foundation
Inc
40 Grattan Street, Prahran,
3181
or Click on make a
donation
All Donations of $2 or more to The New
Hope Foundation Inc are Tax
Deductible
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