Having trouble reading this email? Staff Giving Newsletter May 2020 Dear ExampleContactFirstName, It is a huge honour to be the new chair of the Staff Giving Committee. I am a proud Staff Giver and it's a real privilege to be amongst you and the many staff who continue to support our talented, but disadvantaged students experiencing personal or financial hardship.   It seems like such a long time ago, since I attended the Scholarship Welcome Lunch Events in early March. Little did we know then, that events like this, would have been impossible only weeks later. I would like to welcome and thank the 31 staff who joined Staff Giving through these events.  As Payroll Staff Givers, your continued support in these uncertain times is greatly valued. For students like Clinton Tran below, his Students' Future Fund scholarship is making a huge impact in his life and allowing him to better cope with the additional challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has presented. I would also like to thank those of you who volunteered to be a Staff Giving Buddy this year. We hear from Lori Bowe below, on her buddy experience. On a different note, there's some wonderful Griffith content being created for alumni, that we thought may be of interest to you, below. In closing, I have an important challenge for us all. The need has never been greater for our support and you can only imagine how this will increase in the years to come.  We have more students in need than we have scholarships to give so here is what I plan to do this month...I am doubling my contribution and will commit to get one more Staff Giver on board by sharing the life changing difference we can make by giving just a small amount each pay.  This is the power of collaboration. Times are tough and the future is uncertain but while I do know where I am, I can spare the price of a decent bottle of red wine each week. It doesn't have to be much...but if we all do it, it will make such a difference.  So will you join me in the challenge? You can increase your deduction here. Let's grow Staff Giving from the inside. With your help, I look forward to growing our caring community, so our disadvantaged students can continue their education and flourish. Warm regards, Professor Ruth McPhail Chair, Staff Giving Committee P.S. We'd love to hear from you if you have any questions/suggestions at staffgiving@griffith.edu.au Scholarship welcome lunch events Thank you to those of you who were able to attend one of our lunch events held at Gold Coast, Logan, Nathan and Mt Gravatt campuses.  We look forward to more events like this in the not too distant future. If you were unable to attend, you may like to check out the photos taken at these events, by clicking on the respective campus event below. Gold Coast campus - Tuesday 3 March Logan campus - Thursday 5 March Nathan campus - Tuesday 10 March Mt Gravatt campus - Thursday 12 March Watch how donor support keeps Clinton Tran's education dream alive   Physiotherapist student, Clinton Tran, jumped at the chance to be profiled in this year's Annual Appeal campaign, to enable students' like him to receive scholarship support. Clinton, was ‘over the moon’ when he received a Students' Future Fund scholarship, never imagining how critical it would be to him and his family. With impressive grades and part-time work as a physio assistant and sports trainer, he was well on his way to achieving his career goals. Clinton lives at home with his mother, stepfather and cousin in Brisbane. Like many Australians, the coronavirus pandemic has put an enormous financial strain on them. Clinton’s part-time work has dried up, his mother’s job at a processing factory has stopped and his stepfather’s future employment is uncertain. “I’m really grateful to all the scholarship donors.If it wasn’t for them a lot of students who are struggling wouldn’t be in university or able to pursue their potential. I’m also thankful for the love and support. It really makes a difference, not only helping me, but the people around me. I would like to thank everyone and hope they stay safe during this tough time.”  Read Clinton's full story here. Lori shares her buddy experience Lori Bowe is a Senior Project Officer in Digital Solutions, based at the Nathan campus. She has been a Staff Buddy for many years and has a down-to-earth approach to buddying. "I treat the students as adults and try to switch off my mothering instincts! I take my cues from them and let them set the pace.  They live online and unsurprisingly, that's how we mainly connect. So the COVID-19 world is no different to how I'd usually connect with my buddies," Lori says. Lori is amazed at how talented her buddies are. Her current buddy, Cameron Summers-Borchard (pictured), is an Aboriginal writer, currently completing his B.A. and aspires to contribute to Queensland's politico-literary landscape.  Cameron was astonished by the Buddy Program and here's what his Students' Future Fund scholarship has meant to him: "Thank you for being part of the staff giving program. The scholarship I have received has helped me purchase a laptop which has come in handy considering that all study content is now online. It also means I have the tools to continue to foster my passion for writing and hopefully get some of my work published this year. Your support is such a gift." Lori finds the program so important and rewarding and says, "I love being part of this program - I get to see where my donations go and how deserving and thankful the students are for the support." Lori has already put up her hand to be a buddy again next year. Looking for Griffith generated content? As we've all moved to a virtual online world, the alumni team has been hard at work creating some wonderful webinars for Griffith alumni. We thought you may enjoy them too: Enterprising Techniques Delivered by Associate Professor Naomi Birdthistle, this webinar explores how to harness the power of entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship.(56 mins) Watch here Adaption To Climate Change Griffith University and the Golden Key International Honour Society were pleased to present Griffith alumnus and climate change adaptation specialist, Dr Johanna Nalau for this special webinar. Dr Nalau explained what adaptation to climate change really means, why it is necessary and what opportunities exist in a changing climate and importantly how everyone can play a part in making a difference to the world. (56 mins) Watch here