The Damascus College Bright Futures Breakfast was a fabulous success on Tuesday morning.

Guests began arriving at the Damascus Events Centre at 6.15am for this annual fundraising event and were treated to the amazing view that encompasses the campus all the way to Wendouree as the sun came up.

A highlight of the event was the Senior Choir's performance. In the last 2 years due to restrictions and safety concerns we have been very limited to the amount of live performances that our Choir have been able to sing. At the event we were blessed to have Maria Russell, our musical performing arts coordinator leading our Senior Choir as they sang for the assembled audience. It was wonderful to see them back on stage.

Guests of the event were delighted by the speech prepared and given by recent graduate Nicholas Kattula, Class of 2021. Nick was the recipient of the Academic Achievement scholarship in 2018. He shared what a difference this had made in not only his life, but also his families. He spoke of his Damascus education and the breadth of activities he had been able to undertake while a student. He also told the audience about how being a recipient of a scholarship had boosted his confidence and led him down pathways he wouldn’t otherwise have walked.

Our special guest speaker, Jocelyn Bignold, OAM then gave a thoughtful and moving presentation on McAuley Community Services for Women. At the conclusion of her Q&A session with the audience she was presented with a Damascus Jacket that she has passed along to those in need and a glorious bunch of flowers which will be enjoyed here at the Ballarat office.

Breakfast was then served, with members of the Year 12 VCAL group on hand to ensure guests had their plates filled as the journeyed along the buffet line.

The annual Bright Futures Breakfast is a wonderful event that provides opportunities for our students to shine, and our wider community to come together to support a truly worthy cause; providing a Damascus College education to a student and families who are experiencing financial or personal disadvantage, and who demonstrate a strong commitment to social justice activities and contribute to their local community, but may not otherwise be able to access a Catholic education.

Applications for the Bright Futures Scholarship are now open. Full details can be found at https://www.damascus.vic.edu.au/enrolment/scholarships and if you would like to help make a scholarship possible to another worthy student you can contribute at https://www.damascus.vic.edu.au/community/giving