Why I donate – Lachlan King
Alumnus, Lachlan King, was searching for a meaningful way to give back when he discovered the joy of supporting students to achieve their dreams. Having established two Shaping Futures Scholarships and leaving a gift to the University of Newcastle in his Will, he reflects on what it means to be part of our community.
📷 For Lachlan King, supporting Shaping Futures Scholarships and including a gift in his Will are meaningful ways to give back and help students achieve their goals.
I feel a lot of joy when I find out who my scholarships have been awarded to. It’s one of the happiest moments of my year. It’s exciting to learn what they’re studying and hear about their journey to this point.
I’d been searching for a way to give back for a while. I tried volunteering for a community organisation and initially set up a prize at the University. While I enjoyed both, they helped me realise I wanted to create something with a lasting impact.
Then in 2019, I attended a supporter event at the University and heard a student talk about what receiving a scholarship had meant to her. It really struck a chord with me, and I knew straight away what I wanted to do.
Since setting up my first scholarship in 2020, the whole experience has become a self-reinforcing cycle. Seeing the difference it makes to a person’s life, following their story and sharing the experience with other like-minded people inspired me to establish a second scholarship and continues to make me want to do more.
Students today face so many challenges. I admire their courage and resilience. The one thing I continue to hear from recipients is how powerful it is to know someone believes in you. Someone who doesn’t even know you but is willing to support your dreams. I want to keep offering that for as long as I can.
Giving is something I’ve mostly done quietly. But it’s worth talking about. It might be exactly what inspires someone else to give back in their own way.”
Lachlan King
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Please call 02 4921 8612 or email donor-relations@newcastle.edu.au.
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- Office of Philanthropy
- Phone: 02 4921 8612
- Email: donor-relations@newcastle.edu.au
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