SWIMMER Mollie O'Callaghan is set to dive into the Australian championships, but needs a little help to get to Melbourne for the competition.
The 10-year-old Greenbank State School student swam her way onto the state team at the Queensland Schools Swimming Championships in March, winning several medals in the process.
She also broke a district time record, finishing the multistyle with a time of one minute, 30 seconds
Her performance secured her a spot on the Queensland team and she will now head to the nationals in Melbourne from July 20 to 26, but needs a bit of help with the expense.
Mollie's mum Toni said the trip would cost about $5000, including the airfares, uniforms and competitive racing gear.
"A proper racing swimming suit can be more than $300," she said.
Collection boxes have been placed at The Coffee Club stores in Jimboomba and Browns Plains, raising more than $600 already and stunning the family with people's generosity.
Mollie said she it felt good to make the Queensland team and she was excited about going to Melbourne, where she hoped to win a medal.
"I'm a bit nervous but looking forward to it. It'll be a good experience," she said.
"The challenge will be racing faster swimmers, because I like to push myself to be the fastest."
Mollie will not be heading to Victoria alone either, with fellow Greenbank State School student Hazel Hogan also qualifying for the team.
Donations to help with Mollie's trip can be made in the boxes at The Coffee Club stores in Jimboomba, Grand Plaza and Village Square in Browns Plains.
