MEDIA RELEASE
Country libraries and tertiary students are the winners from National Backyard Cricket fundraising campaign
13 July 2021
The LBW Trust has now distributed the funds raised during the inaugural National Backyard Cricket program, held last summer to country libraries across Australia and tertiary education projects in India and Sri Lanka.
54 country libraries across Australia have received funding grants which will enable these libraries to complete projects ranging from computer access for young people, to ESL classes, special needs programs and coding classes. Almost half the grant applications requested funding for technology equipment. Harvey Norman has generously matched the funds raised for libraries during the National Backyard Cricket program enabling grants to meet the technology needs of 21 libraries. In total, nearly $70,000 in grants will be distributed to country libraries working with our partner, Friends of Libraries Australia.
Tertiary students in India and Sri Lanka have also been the recipients of the funds raised by the National Backyard Cricket program for overseas education. At a time when the pandemic has devastated the lives of so many in the Indian subcontinent, the support provided to the students to support their education and relieve pressure on their families has been invaluable.
There were 125 games of backyard cricket played during the National Backyard Cricket program, with over 320 donors helping to raise more than $125,000. The program was supported by cricketing royalty including; Justin Langer, Alex Blackwell, Ryan Carters, Russel Arnold, Alyssa Healy, Ed Cowan and Michael Holding.
David Vaux, Chair of The LBW Trust said, “National Backyard Cricket was an opportunity for families and communities across Australia to come together and have fun playing our iconic game after an extremely challenging 12 months, while supporting an important cause at the same time. We are so thrilled we can support local libraries and overseas tertiary education as we know they both have a powerful impact on learning and life outcomes.”
“We are heartened by the generosity of the Australian public who participated in National Backyard Cricket. The program exceeded our expectations. Together with our partners, we are proud of National Backyard Cricket’s success in its first year. We have established a great platform for National Backyard Cricket to build on.”
For more information, please visit https://nationalbackyardcricket.com/.
-ENDS-
About The LBW Trust
The Learning for a Better World (LBW) Trust has raised nearly $5 million since its inception 15 years ago. It draws on the generosity of the Australian and international cricketing community to provide transformational educational opportunities for young men and women in the developing world. Our hope is that, when they graduate, these young men and women will have the opportunity to play an important part in improving the future of their communities and nations. Over 1300 students from countries including India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Africa, Tanzania, Indonesia, Kenya and Afghanistan are supported annually.
The LBW Trust fundraises through charitable donations, the LBW Trust Annual Dinner, Batting for Change events, and Women for Change fundraising campaigns. Each of these avenues draws on the support of Australians, the cricketing community, and our diverse group of Directors, Committee Members, Patrons, and Ambassadors including legends of the game. Our Board of Directors consists of a wide range of professionals, from journalists and authors to accountants, bankers, teachers, lawyers and business people, all bound by a common philanthropic passion and a love of cricket.
The inaugural National Backyard Cricket campaign was made possible by the support of our marketing and media partners; MultiConnexions, Triple M, Nexba, Spriggy, Blue Chip Communications, CW Consults, Nightjar and Budgy Smugglers. For more information, please refer to the National Backyard Cricket website http://nationalbackyardcricket.com.au.
