$500 flood hardship grants for students

Student fills in forms at a table while two staff members assist him

Murali Bobba applies for a flood hardship grant, assisted by Louis Myers, Manager, International Student Support, and Toni Lawrence (R), Director, Advancement. Photo: Bethany Keats, JCU Media

James Cook University will provide hardship grants of $500 to students who suffered losses during the recent flooding in Townsville and surrounding areas.

Students will qualify for consideration for a hardship grant from the JCU Student Disaster Relief Fund if they meet the following conditions:

The student did not qualify and/or receive either Federal or State grant payments;
The student’s losses (including textbooks) were not covered by their insurance and/or for those who did not have insurance at all for the contents they lost.

International Student Support Manager Louise Myers said students have contacted the University seeking assistance, and the JCU Disaster Relief Fund will help those in need.

“We want to assist students who’ve been affected by the recent floods and haven’t received any other help, such a government grant or insurance cover.

“We’re excited to announce that the QCoal Foundation has donated $20,000 to the Fund, and a number of other business and local organisations have expressed an interest in supporting this great cause,” Mrs Myers said.

“Thanks to this generous support, we currently have more than $50,000 available to assist affected students.”

The Chair of the QCoal Foundation Christopher Wallin said the Foundation is proud to be a leading contributor to the recently-created Fund.

“The QCoal Foundation and JCU have a long-term, strong partnership, which includes the QCoal Foundation Scholarship and, previously, the Regional Experience Program, so this support is a natural extension of that partnership.”

“At the QCoal Foundation, we pride ourselves on listening to our communities and working in partnership with highly respected organisations to address need at a practical, grassroots level.”

“We are proud to be partnering with JCU to ensure our special purpose flood grant program can be utilised so effectively and quickly to assist the University’s students.”

Further details of the Fund and its eligibility criteria, as well as a grant application form, are available at https://www.jcu.edu.au/jcu-student-disaster-relief-fund