As we look back over the year, one group that has constantly promoted and supported us are the community of St Mary’s School in Manly.
We first established a connection with the school through Kate and 3 other teachers there – Priscilla, Lou and Maree, who were all part of our inaugural Teach the Teacher trip to Cambodia in January 2010. Since then, the students and their families have enthusiastically embraced our projects.
... children bring in loose coins and Khmer bear lives in the class of the winning fundraisers for a week.
For the past two years they have funded Fr Heri’s nutrition programme at Piek Snaing, which has provided weekly chicken and vegetable soup to approximately 300 children. Several parents from the school also sponsored a team from Macquarie Bank who were running in the City to Surf to raise money for our education programme. Most recently, the families took part in a challenge to fund 100 maths resource packs for 100 schools, meeting the challenge in one week!!
The kids at school have raised this money under the fantastic and enthusiastic guidance of all the staff particularly Mary, Priscilla and Lou, by organizing a “Khmer Bear” weekly class collection, where children bring in loose coins and Khmer bear lives in the class of the winning fundraisers for a week; an annual school fete organized by the kids for the kids only (a brilliant, simple, fun day, anticipated by all!); selling Entertainment books; asking for a donation in lieu of a Christmas present (thanks kids!!) and most recently, the Maths Resource Kit Challenge.
They have also sent paintings and letters to kids in Cambodia and these are now proudly adorning the walls of several remote schools. Similar pictures are making their way back from the Khmer kids as we speak and are eagerly awaited by St Mary’s!
This wonderful school, whose motto is “Listen and Love”, has put their motto into practical action not only for us, but for numerous other charities and causes throughout the year and we cannot thank them enough for their ongoing enthusiasm and support. We hope our relationship with them continues for a long time as well as their genuine relationship with the kids of Cambodia. See their website on: www.stmarysmanly.nsw.edu.au
St Mary’s teacher, Kate, at Piek Snaing nutrition centre which is funded by St Mary’s School, Manly
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