Giving often begins with a simple connection. That was the case for Hugh Davies.

About four years ago as Hugh was winding down from full-time employment, he became involved in the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) and started to provide support and advice to refugee families.

“My wife and I were both quite keen to do something positive in a community sense, but we were not particularly attracted to conventional sources of making donations to non-profit organisations,” Hugh explains. “We wanted a more direct involvement.”

Providing direct, in-person support through his work with ASRC, Hugh became involved with one family in particular, and formed a very strong friendship with the father of that family. Through their friendship, Hugh helped the man set up a business and often provided advice when needed.

As Hugh explains it, “we met usually once a fortnight to discuss some aspect of it as I steered him towards an accountant and various other people. He built a nice business, which continues to this to this day.”

During this time, the daughter of the family, who was in her final year of high school, received top marks, enabling her to be accepted into Melbourne University. It quickly became apparent that in order for her to attend university, as non-citizens the family would have to pay the very sizeable fees up-front.

This situation opened Hugh’s eyes to the state of tertiary education for refugees in Australia, something he still feels passionate about today.

“Education for refugee children is extremely hard to obtain, both in terms of language skills, but particularly in terms of financial needs,” Hugh says.

With this is mind, a friend of Hugh’s suggested approaching Australian Communities Foundation to start a dialogue and through that connection Hugh established the Education Support Fund, which provides scholarships to refugee students at Deakin University.

“If we can change the lives of a very small number of people in a very significant way, and give young people an opportunity they almost certainly would not otherwise have, that’s immensely rewarding,” Hugh says.

Another of the most rewarding parts of Hugh’s giving journey has been the sense of community he’s found with other, like-minded donors at Australian Communities Foundation.

“I value the fact that I have people here that I can talk with and raise particular vexatious issues. And they’ll either provide good advice from their experience, or they’ll connect me up with others. It’s great knowing that in the background we can connect up with, and be inspired by, other people who are members of ACF.”

Like many funders at Australian Communities Foundation, Hugh believes that philanthropy does not have to be only for wealthy families or high-net worth individuals; that instead it can be modest, thoughtful and “not just about the money”.

Philanthropy can be many different things to different people. When it comes to Hugh’s giving, he does not seek public recognition, choosing like many others to remain anonymous, while still interested to know a little bit about each of the recipients the scholarship goes to.

When asked about the most valuable lesson he’s learned about giving, Hugh says it all comes down to connection.

“It can be terrific to engage with people from profoundly different backgrounds and to learn from them,” he says. “To see them grow and become fulfilled, through the very modest efforts that you make is the most profoundly rewarding aspect in what my wife and I are doing.

“It’s not that we have a powerful need to give away our savings,” Hugh continues. “There’s a stronger need to add some value to the lives of individuals in a way that’s both financial and non-financial.”

Though Hugh’s giving journey has evolved over time, something that won’t change is his passion for education and providing support to refugee children and their families, enabling them to pursue education and further training. Hugh’s giving journey shows how a connection with one family can lead to something bigger and the impact can be immensely rewarding.