VARIETY Heart scholarships are open for applications for 2025.

The scholarships aim to give all Western Australian kids a fair shot at achieving their dreams, financially supporting gifted and talented kids from six to 17-years-old who are living with a chronic illness, disability or financial disadvantage, to fulfil their full potential.

The applicant must be gifted in the arts, sport, or extracurricular academics, and this talent and any resulting prizes or achievements must be verified by an industry professional.

13-year-old Gidgegannup resident Isabella Geracitano received a 2024 Heart scholarship to help pay her tuition at Youth Ballet WA.

She started full-time ballet training last year, and her mother Kirsty Geracitano said her daughter would not be progressing as she has been without the financial help of the scholarship.

“The Variety Heart scholarship funds have helped with Isabella’s ballet fees at Youth Ballet WA. She used to just be an after-school student but now she attends school there as well, doing two to three hours of schooling via long-distance education and four to five hours of dancing a day,” she said.

“She is ecstatic about being part of the full-time ballet program, which she started last year when she was 12. She loves dancing and has been doing ballet since she was about five years old.

“It’s been a big help having the scholarship going towards paying fees. She wouldn’t have been able to join the program without the scholarship.

“In the future ideally, Isabella wants to be a professional dancer and Variety Heart scholarships are helping her with that.”
Isabella said she is excited about pursuing professional dancing in the future.

“Being at dance full time is going to help me be a professional dancer in the future, the teachers are experienced and very encouraging,” she said.

“Dance makes me feel happy and free, I can use it to express my feelings.”

New Variety WA ambassador Rhiannon Clarke, who competed for Australia in the Paris Paralympic games,said the scholarships were a unique opportunity to help young achievers with a setback in life go after their goals.

Applications close on Friday, February 14 visit www.variety.org.au