CHARITIES WE SUPPORT

BackTrack is a not-for-profit organisation that enables young people who have lost their way to reconnect with education and training, become work ready and secure meaningful employment. 

BackTrack offers a lifeline for many kids (aged mostly between 12-19 years) who would otherwise fall through the cracks of society.  With BackTrack's support, these youth get 'back on track' and become happy, healthy and positive participants in the local community.   

The support from the Kennards Family Foundation to BackTrack has included funding and the provision of equipment such as trailers, chainsaws, welders and more. This equipment has been instrumental in providing training and work experience opportunities to BackTrack's young people, enabling them to not only develop aspirations to work, but to have the experience to gain employment in the local trade and Agricultural sectors.

“For the past 70 years Kennards Hire have operated as a family business.  Their philosophies have made BackTrack kids and staff feel part of that family. Their Fair Dinkum approach to giving back to some of the most disadvantaged kids in our communities is to be applauded.”

Bernie Shakeshaft, Founder & CEO

Dismantle is a charity that supports vulnerable young people who are having a tough time in Perth and regional Western Australia. Working with around 400 young people annually, Dismantle helps to provide them with the skills they need to take an active role in their own self-development.

Dismantle’s flagship program is BikeRescue, where youth workers and Occupational Therapists appear as Bike Mechanics and deliver an Earn-a-Bike program - one bike is restored and donated to charity, to earn a second to keep. Along the way, participants are slowly encouraged to open up about their barriers, explore opportunities and connect to supportive pathways.

Beyond BikeRescue, Dismantle connects young people to social enterprise initiatives that further the soft and hard work-readiness skills and abilities.

“With equipment and financial support from the Kennards Hire Foundation and team, our program has been made available for young people who would otherwise fall through the cracks because they aren’t connected with a school or organisation that can support them.”

Pat Ryan, CEO

Ganbina is Australia’s most successful Indigenous school to work transition program. Ganbina has a unique approach - they mentor young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, from the ages of six to 25 years old, to make sure they gain the education, skills and life experiences they need to unlock their full potential. The program includes learning support, life skills training, cultural appreciation, career guidance and financial assistance.

Ganbina empowers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth to successfully overcome the disadvantages they face so that they can go to on to live fulfilling, independent lives.

“Ganbina helps our children and youth understand that aspiration is not only about aptitude. It is also about attitude and application, and putting those things into practice; they can, and will, achieve their full potential in life.”

Anthony Cavanagh, CEO

KidsXpress is a specialist trauma focused organisation providing Expressive Therapy Programs and Trauma-Informed Education Services. A registered charity, KidsXpress was established in 2006 to address the lack of services available to support children who were living with the effects of childhood trauma.

Through the delivery of nationally accredited and evidence-based therapy and education services, KidsXpress is leading the way in early-intervention services by protecting children from the insidious and cumulative effects of toxic stress – and the dark legacy of a childhood that no child would choose.

“There is no greater support one can receive than unwavering belief, in the good times and in the toughest. Belief we are worthy, belief in who we are as people and the tangible difference we strive to make to the most vulnerable.

“Kennards Hire has partnered with KidsXpress over many years. To me this has been the greatest gift. Establishing a strong and meaningful relationship through our values, created a deep cornerstone in our growth. I am immensely proud to say KidsXpress is supported by The Kennards Hire Foundation and that together we are creating a future our kids deserve.”

Margo Ward, CEO

Melbourne Indigenous Transition School (MITS) has developed a new educational model to provide choice and opportunity to Indigenous students from remote and regional communities across Australia. Each year, 22 Year 7 Indigenous boys and girls  come to live at the MITS boarding house in Richmond, Victoria. They attend the MITS inside the Richmond Football Club, where they study a curriculum focused on numeracy, literacy, wellbeing and cultural strength.

MITS provides a warm home-style environment that celebrates culture and understands the challenges of transitioning from a small community to a big city. At the end of their MITS year, the students move into scholarship positions at Melbourne partner schools, where they continue to be supported through MITS’s Pathways Program. From Year 8 onwards, some students continue to board with MITS while attending partner schools as day students.

“We are thrilled to have the support of the Kennards Hire Foundation for both our current and our alumni students. Every parent wants educational opportunity for their children, so that they may lead lives full of opportunity and choice. The Kennards Hire Foundation is making this possible for our MITS students, and is creating a bright future for our students, their communities, and for all of us as Australians.”

Edward Tudor, Executive Director

The Karrkad Kanjdji Trust work at the intersection of two monumental issues for Australia – the vast and unique environment, and the hopes, dreams and place of the First Australians.  

The Trust works with local Indigenous land management organisations to incubate compelling projects, and then partners with some of Australia’s leading philanthropists to bring them to reality.

The Kennards Hire Foundation, through the Karrkad Kanjdji Trust supports the Nawarddeken Academy, a unique bicultural school in the remote Indigenous outstation of Kabulwarnamyo in the Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area. The Nawarddeken Academy has an 85% attendance rate and has enabled 19 Warddeken land management Rangers jobs to be retained or created.

“It is an absolute pleasure to work alongside the Kennards Hire Foundation. Their support and engagement has been integral to the long term sustainability of the Nawarddeken Academy, and solidified a model for remote bi-cultural education in West Arnhem Land. Without their thoughtful approach to philanthropy this work would not be possible.”

Stacey Irving, Karrkad Kanjdji Trust CEO

Our Place is a holistic place-based approach to supporting the education and development of children and families in disadvantaged communities. Our Place facilitates partnerships that enable the local school to be the central place for learning and support services that overcome barriers to educational achievement.

Our Place is an example of when philanthropy, government and the social service sector come together to overcome the barriers faced by disadvantage to create a positive, inspiring and evidence-based outcomes in supporting the educational and well-being needs for families and their communities.

"Education is the key to transforming the life chances of children and creating the conditions for families and communities to flourish. When schools in disadvantaged communities act as hubs, they have the potential to create powerful change, as existing local services are reshaped to become more accessible to those who need them most. Our Place is delighted to welcome the Kennards Hire Foundation and our partnership will provide essential resources to the Corio community."

Sean Cory, CEO

For almost 30 years, Stepping Stone House (SSH) has provided accommodation and personal development to young people experiencing homelessness or who are unable to live with their families. With 38% of Australia's homeless population under the age of 25, SSH’s aim is to empower the individual to achieve responsible independence.

Through educational development, adventure programs, community volunteering, mentoring and counselling, SSH equips young people aged 12 – 24 years with the self-care and life skills they need to become independent and succeed in life long-term.

“Kennards Hire has been a valuable supporter of our programs for almost 30 years. Their support has extended to fundraising events, loaning equipment and providing resources to build additional houses. They have also helped pay the education costs for some of our youth. Their support has enabled us to help over 450 disadvantaged youth to complete their education, secure employment and live independently.”

Jason Juretic, CEO

The Smith Family supports disadvantaged Australian children to participate fully in their education, giving them the best chance at breaking the cycle of disadvantage.

The Learning for Life program provides emotional, practical and financial support to help disadvantaged children and young people with their education. This support increases a young person’s likelihood of remaining engaged with school, completing Year 12 and developing realistic and informed study and career pathways for life beyond the school gate.

“Kennards Hire has partnered with The Smith Family for over 20 years to help support students on the Learning for Life program. Kennards Hire Learning for Life sponsorships ensure that these students have the opportunity to create a better future for themselves, sharing our belief that every child deserves a chance. We are so grateful that through our partnership 40 students undergoing Tertiary studies have access to Learning for Life scholarships to support their education.”

Lucette Harper, Major Donor Manager ACT/NSW

TRACTION's purpose is to empower vulnerable young people to discover, connect and realise their own positive and successful future. Their key program, Bicycle Build, provides the opportunity for young people to gain experience in bicycle building and maintenance. Each program delivers over 50 hours of mentoring for young people and the chance to build resilience, teamwork and leadership skills. Founded in 2015 and based in Queensland, TRACTION has supported more than 1,400 young people through their programs, across seven south east Queensland regions.

“We are honoured to be welcomed by the Kennards Hire Foundation. This partnership will ensure TRACTION can reach more young people with hands-on programs designed to build confidence, resilience and teamwork. Our young people face a range of challenges and our mentors teach respectful behaviour, responsibility and a new way of learning. We look forward to sharing the stories of success enabled through this partnership.”

Sandy Murdoch, Founder, TRACTION

Youth Opportunities is a South Australian not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to empower young people, giving them the tools and skills to overcome challenges now and in their future. Their key program, the Personal Leadership Program, is a 60 hour wellbeing and life skills training program that helps increase the confidence, self-worth, and motivation of young people, allowing them to build resilience and overcome adversity throughout their lives.

Each year, Youth Opportunities works with more than 2,000 young people right across South Australia, through a range of programs and services. They have been doing so since 1997, and have supported more than 13,300 students, positively impacting their schools, families and communities.

“We are very proud to be welcomed in to the Kennards Hire family. With your support we can now reach young people who are facing some of the toughest challenges imaginable, and help them believe what we do – that they matter, that they’re worth investing in and that they are the ones who can change their lives for the better.”

Erin Faehrmann, Chief Executive

The KidsCan Charitable Trust works in partnership with 700+ low decile primary, intermediate and high schools providing tangible items such as food, raincoats, shoes and basic health and hygiene items.

Kennards Hire has been supporting KidsCan since 2014 and over that time have provided financial donations, in-kind donations and volunteers to help support Kiwi kids in need.

“We believe that education equals opportunity and that every child, regardless of their social economic background, should have an equal chance to get a good education. Sadly, this isn’t the case for the 1 in 4 New Zealand children living in hardship.”

“Kennards Hire have adapted a ‘buddy school’ initiative program as a way to help strengthen relationships between the individual branches and their local communities by providing some of the KidsCan partner schools with access to equipment and man power that they otherwise wouldn’t have access to.”

Julie Chapman, KidsCan Founder & CEO

Springboard works with marginalised young people and their families in New Zealand’s North Auckland area, empowering them with life changing principles, skills and mentors to facilitate personal transformation.  

Working out of their values; ‘Hope, Belonging, Purpose, Wellbeing and Integrity’ Springboard continues to see positive changes with the young people in their programs and the ripple effect that it has on the wellbeing of the wider community.

"We are very grateful to Kennards Hire who support us through the supply of power tools and machinery to train young people in work skills preparing them for employment.  They also generously matched dollar-for-dollar donations up to $100,000 at our Double Impact fundraiser. It was such a huge boost. It’s also been great to have some of their team volunteer their time at our events.”

“The support from Kennards Hire, and their inspiration through their strong values, makes us even more determined to find better outcomes for our young people. It is truly unbelievable. Thank you.” 

Gary Diprose, Managing Director

The Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) is a private (non-profit) organisation that protects endangered wildlife across almost 6.5 million hectares, in iconic places such as the Kimberley, Cape York, Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre and the Top End.

Guided by world-class science, AWC’s practical approach to land management is generating exciting outcomes for Australia’s threatened wildlife, like the Numbat population which has increased by 350% under AWC’s management.

“AWC greatly appreciates the generous support of the Kennard Hire Foundation which comes at a critical moment in our battle to save Australia’s threatened wildlife.

“With their help, we are developing and operationalising an exciting new model for conservation – one that delivers an exceptional return on investment and is capable of reversing the sharp decline in Australia’s natural capital. This gift will save threatened wildlife where it counts – in the field.”

Shauna Chadlowe, Chief Development Officer

The Australian bush is a place of outback wonders and rugged beauty. Bush Heritage buys and manages land, and partners with Aboriginal people, to protect Australia’s irreplaceable landscapes and magnificent native species forever.

The support from the Kennards Hire Foundation will directly improve the health of the Australian bush, allowing Bush Heritage to protect almost 6,000 native species across our reserves. The donations will be spent entirely in Australia, fighting threats to our environment such as wildfires, climate change, feral predators, invasive weeds and restoring waterways.

“Kennards Hire is a trusted Australian brand whose community values are strongly aligned with those of Bush Heritage. The generous support from Kennards Hire Foundation is helping achieve our vision of Healthy Country, Protected Forever. Working on our 37 reserves and in conjunction with 25 Aboriginal partnerships across Australia we are actively managing 11.2 million hectares of land for the conservation of over 6350 species including 71 endangered species.”  

Heather Campbell, CEO

Taronga Conservation Society Australia (Taronga) is a not-for-profit organisation, caring for wildlife and creating transformational experiences that inspire guests and the broader community to become champions for wildlife. Taronga participates in regional and global conservation programs and is home to Australia’s largest conservation Science team, carrying out world-class research.

The Kennard Family and Kennards Hire business have been involved with Taronga for many years. From supporting innovative programs that empower young people living near habitat wildlife hotspots to take action and become wildlife ambassadors, to supporting the Tasmanian Devil Insurance Breeding Program when the species were first identified as in crisis. Kennards Hire were also instrumental in the success of Taronga’s Wild! Rhino fundraiser where our employees went above and beyond to deliver almost life-sized Rhino sculptures all over greater Sydney.

“As Taronga works to address wildlife and conservation issues, build on our Indigenous youth programs, develop rigorous community conservation strategies and work to inspire the next generations of thinker, we are grateful to the Kennards Hire Foundation for their consistent support and meaningful investment in our work.”

Stephanie Hart, Senior Relationship Manager