Bluff Point's Library Regeneration Program!

Dymocks Children's Charities was delighted to deliver over 500 new books to Bluff Point Primary School in WA through our Library Regeneration Program!

The school's Library Officer, Jess H shared "This is an incredibly generous program! To provide students with new and exciting material to open their minds to the joy and adventure that books can bring, was an absolute gift, and one that that will keep on giving for years and years!"

Here's what the students had to say...

It is so thoughtful that they gave us all of these books, they will help a lot of kids to read. It has inspired me to keep reading and learning new things. - Sophia

There is such a variety of books to read now. I can’t wait to try new authors and get inspiration for my drawing from the graphic novels. I can also get more knowledge with the new fact books. - James

Happy reading Bluff Point students!

Do you remember the book that changed your life?

Have you ever read a life-changing book? Maybe it was a childhood classic that inspired a lifelong love of reading. Perhaps it was a book that inspired your career, or just made you feel seen and understood.

Unfortunately many Australians will never fully understand the feeling of finding comfort in reading. This is because 1 in 10 adults in Australia have low-literacy or are illiterate.*

Literacy skills are grown and nurtured in homes and classrooms. This is a barrier for tens of thousands of children who are growing up in poverty with very limited access to books.

Your donation to Dymocks Children’s Charities will ensure children will be welcomed back to school this year in classrooms filled with brand-new books. Our literacy programs give schools and students agency to select books that inspire and speak to them.

CLICK HERE to here to make a difference today:

DCC Ambassador, Jacqueline Harvey honours Great Debate 2023 auction winner!

At our 2023 Great Debate Gala, one of our major auction prizes included the opportunity to name a character in Jacqueline Harvey's next Willa and Woof book series.

After meeting with the family who won the incredible money-can't-buy prize, Jacqueline shared "I want to thank the real Peter, Ann-Marie, Brandon, Hudson and Daisy for allowing me the privilege of making them characters in this story. I hope I’ve done you all justice. Hudson is most definitely a great hugger and Brandon truly is the most wonderful big brother. Peter and Ann-Marie generously purchased an auction item at Dymocks Children’s Charities Great Debate, which was to have one of their children’s names in an upcoming book. When I heard about Hudson’s story and the adoration of his big brother, Brandon, I felt as if Willa would love to get to know them too. I hope you do as well.”

The Willa and Woof series follow the humorous and heartfelt adventures of eight-year-old Willa and her best four-legged friend, Woof! Double the Drama is the sixth book in the series and explores themes of friendship, imagination and conflict resolution. It’s time to put on a play at school, but not everyone is getting along. Will a new friend come between Willa and Tae?

Jacqueline Harvey is a long-time Dymocks Children’s Charities ambassador and champion for children’s literacy. It is an honour to have Jacqueline as a DCC Ambassador, her passion for literacy, storytelling and our charity’s mission is evident in all that she does. She is the author of the popular Alice-Miranda, Clementine Rose, Kensy and Max and Willa and Woof series, which have sold almost two million copies in Australia alone. Her books have received numerous shortlistings and awards while her picture book, The Sound of the Sea, was a CBCA Honour Book.

Jacqueline speaks to thousands of young people at schools and festivals around the world, and says the characters in her books are often made up of the best bits of children she’s met over the years. Jacqueline will be joining DCC at our very first Inspired Readers Festival taking place in Armidale NSW in November 2023.

Dymocks Children’s Charities is so thrilled to share the wonderful story of Hudson and Brandon featuring in the latest Willa and Woof: Double the Drama. To learn more about the book, please click here

Dymocks Children’s Charities and SchoolAid partner in flood relief support for Cabbage Tree Island Public School.

Dymocks Children’s Charities (DCC) and SchoolAid have partnered together to support the Cabbage Tree Island community through their flood recovery efforts in 2022-2023. Cabbage Tree Island Public School is in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales which experienced intense rainfall and storms during the 2022 Australian east coast floods.

The Cabbage Tree Island community was evacuated from the island and was faced with the difficult task of rebuilding their homes, school and lives. The entire island was submerged because of the flooding.  

In response, DCC and SchoolAid sprung to action and joined forces to establish a sense of normality and continuity for the children through the power of books. With the generous support of donors, SchoolAid donated $22,000 towards flood relief for Cabbage Tree Island Public School which was matched by DCC to offer a substantial library regeneration program valued at over $44,000.

Library Regeneration Program

DCC’s Library Regeneration program stocks school libraries with brand-new books of their choice. The school selects books from a catalogue of over 2,600 quality titles to ensure the books target the specific needs, interests, and curriculum of the school community.

In November 2022, Cabbage Tree Island School was able to re-open in their temporary Wardell campus location. This is just the first step in the school’s flood recovery journey. Ready to welcome the students on their first day back at school were over 1,500 books.

Commenting on the impact of the program, school principal Dyonne Anderson shared “our library now has books that students can read, and teachers can use in their classrooms. Our school lost all its resources in the flood, so the program is greatly appreciated. It allows students to have access to books after 9 months with very few books.”

“We were able to select from a great range of books and topics that our students are interested in reading. We have to rebuild our whole library, so these first books are extremely important to get us started in our rebuild. The program contributes to their health and wellbeing which is a focus for our school especially at this time.”

Melanie Smith, General Manager of Dymocks Children’s Charities said “the strength and unity of the Cabbage Tree Island community and school was so evident at every step of our time working with them. Dymocks Children’s Charities with the help of SchoolAid was pleased to get books and puzzles into children’s hands to offer a small distraction and ensure children don’t lose their sense of play, imagination and fun in very difficult and confronting circumstances.”

Australian Children's Laureate, Gabrielle Wang named as Lit Club 4 Kids Author for July - September 2023

We are delighted to announce our third Lit Club 4 Kids book for 2023 is… Zadie Ma and the Dog Who Chased the Moon by Gabrielle Wang!

Lit Club 4 Kids is a free, online book club for children 8-13 years old. With 4 books a year, members will be challenged to let their imaginations run wild with activities and games on the Lit Club 4 Kids website.

Zadie Ma is a girl who writes magical stories that sometimes come true... Can Zadie bring to life her most important story of all, the one where she finds the dog of her dreams?

To learn more, please visit https://litclub4kids.com.au/

Iwasaki Foundation generously support 14 Library Regeneration Programs throughout QLD

Thanks to the incredible generosity of the Iwasaki Foundation, Dymocks Children's Charities received $50,000 to deliver life-changing Library Regeneration programs to 14 disadvantaged schools across Queensland.

How wonderful are these photos of El Arish State School, Normanton State School, Tara Shire State College and Weir State School enjoying their brand-new books! The grant provided over 5,000 new books to 2,370 students across the 14 schools.

El Arish State School

Weir State School shared "Our school is situated in an area of highly vulnerable families. The learning possibilities are simply endless for our students now that they have quality and updated literature in their hands which can reignite their love of books".

The charter of the Iwasaki Foundation is to promote, foster, assist, encourage and sponsor the welfare of people in need. This is done through the funding of Charitable Grants and Tertiary Education Bursaries. Thank you Iwasaki Foundation for supporting DCC's mission to improve literacy outcomes for children in Australia and encourage a lifelong love of reading.

The Great Debate Gala 2023 raises $431,000+ for children's literacy!

What a night! Our goal was to recognise the important work of Dymocks Children’s Charities and champion children’s literacy, and we did it in style at The Great Debate Gala 2023! It was our biggest and most impactful gala yet. Thanks to the generous support of our guests and sponsors, The Great Debate raised $431,900 which will be transformative in delivering books and literacy programs for disadvantaged children across Australia.

Congratulations to all our debaters Adam Spencer, Candice Fox and Dominic Knight and our winning negative team – Rachel Spratt, Tony Burke and Rob Carlton who hilariously convinced the crowd that the world does not need more celebrity memoirs.

A special thank you to our event sponsors - The Phillips Foundation, Bdynamic Logistics, Yangaro, Dymocks, Top Print, Patons and Telegram Co.

We are already looking forward to next year’s Great Debate! 

"You can’t beat reading stories to preschool children" - Lismore Preschool

Dymocks Children’s Charities was delighted to recently support Lismore Preschool with a delivery of brand-new books. Lismore along with the entire Northern Rivers region was heavily impacted by the 2022 Floods. Following devastation and destruction, DCC provided $3,000 worth of books to assist in the rebuild of their library.

The Director of the preschool shared “We opened the boxes today and let the children choose a story each. After looking at the pictures, we then read the five stories to our large group during the day. You can’t beat reading stories to preschool children”. 📚

James Ruse Agricultural High School donates $500 - Library Boost Project

You’re never too young to make a difference in the world! A big thank you to the James Ruse Agricultural High School community for generously supporting Dymocks Children’s Charities.
Last year, the school came together during Book Week to hold a dress up day which raised $500. This money will go directly towards helping disadvantaged students throughout Australia access brand-new books.

DCC General Manager, Melanie Smith and Chairman, Robert Williams who is a James Ruse alumnus, were delighted to accept the cheque at a school assembly which was hand crafted and designed by art students at the school.

Our Library Boost Project is the perfect way to empower students to lead a philanthropic life. With the goal to give students the tools and resources to make school fundraising easy and fun, learn more about how to get involved here.

Ventia Community Grant Program helps breathe life into six school libraries

Thanks to the generosity of Ventia’s community grants program, Dymocks Children's Charities received $12,000 to deliver our Library Regeneration program to six schools in priority areas across Australia.

How wonderful are these photos of Gladstone West State School and Roma State College enjoying their brand-new books! The grant saw 1,123 new books delivered to 2,990 students across the six schools which also included Roxby Downs Area School, Dalby State School, Toowoomba North State School and Warruwi School.

Ventia's community grants program is designed to support communities and build regional strength and sustainability.

Bordertown Primary School welcomes 504 new books with DCC sticker party!

Late last year, Dymocks Children’s Charities received funding from Keith & Districts Community Bank Grants Program which helped us support Bordertown Primary School and Mundulla Primary School.

Based in the upper south east of South Australia, Bordertown Primary School received 504 brand-new books for their 366 students. Check out these great photos including one of their superstar students helping to label the books with our special DCC stickers!

Mole Creek Primary School in Tasmania receives 245+ new books!

Dymocks Children’s Charities was pleased to recently receive funding from the Community Bank Deloraine & Districts Grants Program. Thanks to their support, we were able to provide Mole Creek Primary School in Tasmania with a Library Regeneration program, providing over 245 books for the 65 students to enjoy.

Corinne Allen, a teacher from the school, said “This is an amazing opportunity to reinvigorate our school library. Being a small school means managing on a small budget so the chance to choose such a large quantity of great quality books is incredible. We feel very lucky, thank you.”

We love seeing that these books are already being read, loved and cherished by the students at Mole Creek Primary School!

Books add 'colour and excitement' to Mooroopna Park Primary School following floods

Dymocks Children's Charities was delighted to recently deliver $7,200 worth of books through our Library Regeneration Program to Mooroopna Park Primary School!

Located in rural Victoria, 181km north of Melbourne, the Mooroopna community have been heavily impacted by the recent flooding.

With over 350 brand-new books for the school's 114 students, hear how the program was received by the school... "This program has brought so much joy to our underprivileged school community. The books have added much colour and excitement. We've received a new and exciting range of books for the students to borrow. Some of our students have never received anything new in their lifetime so to have access to these new books is wonderful to see."

Happy reading Mooroopna Park Primary School!

Generous donation from Ratnatunga family sees $10,000 worth of books delivered to Mildura Primary School

Dymocks Children's Charities were very pleased to work with Mildura Primary School to breathe new life into their library and deliver brand-new books for the students. This was thanks to the kindness and generosity of the Ratnatunga family.

The generous donation delivered $10,000 worth of books to the school and gave students a 'Read like Birdie' book bag in memory of Eileen's love of literature. Eileen Ratnatunga was a beloved primary school teacher who loved reading with her students and 8 children.

A huge thank you to the Ratnatunga family; Sophie, Sam and Eileen for sharing the gift that is a lifelong love of reading, we know that the students of Mildura Primary School will cherish this gift forever.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it - Dymocks Children's Charities featured in Boorowa News

In September 2022, Boorowa News published an article on Dymocks Children’s Charities’ Library Regeneration work with Boorowa Central School. DCC was delighted to deliver $10,000 worth of books and work closely with the amazing school librarian, Debra Eustace whose teaching career spans more than 40 years of making a difference.

Boorowa is in the south-west slopes of New South Wales. Thank you Boorowa News for shedding light on the work of DCC and the incredible teachers and librarians who champion children’s literacy every single day.

Please click here to read the article:

https://www.boorowanewsonline.com.au/story/7887006/rich-gift-of-reading-resources-for-boorowa-central-school/?cs=545

New Partnership with Turbans 4 Australia delivers books via essential hampers

DCC is extremely excited to announce a new delivery partnership with T4A - Turbans 4 Australia, a wonderful charity that provides community assistance to people in need. Whilst DCC have delivered books to children in need through local school communities, Turbans 4 Australia has also provided hundreds of books directly to vulnerable children alongside their essential food hampers.

Turbans 4 Australia is run by volunteers in Sydney who are currently coordinating contactless deliveries in the communities hardest hit by the extended lockdown. By delivering essential goods directly to these people in need, the risk of community transmission of COVID-19 is reduced and vulnerable people can be kept safe from having to leave home.

To learn more about the work of Turbans 4 Australia , check out their website here: https://www.t4a.org.au/

$1,024,903 Worth of Books Provided in 2020/21!

It has been an exciting 12 months for DCC, and we are thrilled to announce some of our overall results now that the new financial year has begun.

With over 58,550 books distributed to more than 36,330 children across Australia, the past 12 months marked an extremely successful year for program output. Our programs provided $1,024,903 worth of brand-new books to children in need, marking the 2nd year in a row that our total program value reached over $1,000,000.

These books were delivered as a result of our 14 Book Bank programs, 28 Read At Home programs, and 118 Library Regenerations.

2020/21 also shaped up to be an outstanding year for our fundraising team. The 2020 Christmas Appeal raised $37,289 through our in-store bauble campaign and online donations. Additionally, our annual Great Debate was held in late April, raising a record-breaking $355,940.

To round out a successful year, our 2021 Tax Appeal smashed its target of $50,000 to the grand total of $63,502.50. This was the most successful appeal ever hosted by DCC, breaking the record set at the beginning of the financial year of $55,901 by the 2020 COVID-19 Appeal.

We hope that this momentum continues over the next 12 months so that we can continue providing
much-needed books to children in need across Australia.

2021 Tax Appeal - Thank you for making it our best yet!

As we launched our Tax Appeal for 2021, we set out a challenge to our generous donors. With an ambitious target of $50,000, we hoped to beat our previous record of $31,500 set in 2019 to provide as many books as possible to children in need across Australia.

We are thrilled to announce that our wonderful supporters not only met our target of $50,000, but exceeded it to a grand total of $63,502.50!

As they confirmed their donations, supporters were given the opportunity to share messages alongside their donations our fundraising platform. We received so many beautiful messages of hope, support and kindness directed towards the children in our programs and to DCC, including:

“Reading opens up the world for us. Enjoy the excitement this brings.” - Anonymous

“Reading nurtures creative minds and creative minds can change the world. Never stop reading.” - Bernadette

“Reading enriches life. We must ensure all our children are supported enough to develop this skill.” - Jennie

From the team at DCC, we say thank you for your generous donations and thoughts. We look forward to using these funds to brighten the lives of children in need across Australia, and to further develop their love of reading through our literacy programs.

To view all of the messages sent in by our donors, click here.