9 July, 2009 (SYDNEY, Australia) - Under a new community partnership announced today, the staff of Kaplan Professional will help raise $50,000 for the Starlight Children’s Foundation over the next 12 months. This partnership forms part of Kaplan Professional’s corporate and social responsibilities, which endeavors to make real and positive changes by supporting Australian communities.

Neil Shilbury, CEO, Kaplan Professional, said, “Starlight is a well respected children’s charity that many of our Kaplan Professional staff feel enthusiastic and passionate about. Our contributions will go a long way to helping Starlight support and lift the spirits of children in their time of need.”

Anne Johnston, Head of Partnerships, Starlight Children’s Foundation said, “Starlight relies on the generosity of individuals, community groups and corporations like Kaplan Professional to give seriously ill and hospitalized children the opportunity to access and benefit from Starlight’s programs, which help to restore the fun, laughter and joy that serious illness takes away.”

“The demand for Starlight’s programs continues to grow with over 600,000 child admissions to hospitals each year around Australia. Starlight currently only reaches ‘1 in 3’ of these children and their families. The money raised from Kaplan Professional will help give more of these children the opportunity to access and benefit from Starlight’s innovative programs.”

Mr. Shilbury added, “Kaplan Professional staff will also be encouraged to participate in Starlight’s programs and activities, so they can see first hand how their contributions are helping seriously ill children across the country. In addition, each member of staff will be given one extra day of paid annual leave so they can either volunteer at Starlight or take part in a community organization of their choice.”

Over the next 12 months, Kaplan Professional is planning several fundraising projects including:

• The ‘Go Green’ initiative – aims to help the environment by conserving paper and raise money for Starlight. We’ll donate $5 to Starlight, every time a student chooses to receive their study notes on a USB flash drive instead of on paper

• Workplace Giving Program – involves employees being provided the option to donate a small portion of their weekly pre-tax salary to Starlight.

• Staff Social Clubs – by holding fundraising events such as trivia nights, competitions and raffles.

To find out more about the Starlight Children’s Foundation visit: www.starlight.org.au or call 1300 727 827.

 

About Kaplan Professional Australia (www.kaplanprofessional.edu.au)
Kaplan Professional is one of Australia’s largest providers of professional education services for the finance, real estate and tax and accounting sectors. We are part of Kaplan, Inc., a leading global provider of educational services to individuals, schools and businesses. Kaplan, Inc. serves over one million students with operations in more than 30 countries around the world. Its international programs include higher education, test preparation, language instruction and professional training. Kaplan, Inc. is a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO). For more information, visit www.kaplan.com.

Press contact:

Gail Appleby
Internal and Media Communications Manager
(02) 8248 7657

or

media@kaplan.edu.au