Mount Kelly Prep pupils gathered to reveal the results of the School’s phenomenal fundraising efforts for School in a Bag, a charity which provides a trackable SchoolBag filled with vital educational resources and eating utensils to poor, orphaned, vulnerable and disaster-affected children around the world.
The pupils spent the day on Monday 18 September packing the SchoolBags with essential provisions for children in desperate need in Ukraine alongside the School in a Bag team, who praised the whole of Mount Kelly for raising over £16,000 over the last 12-months.
Luke Simon, Founder & CEO of School in a Bag said, “On a world scale, educating the next generation is a key force to human development and global stability. Across the UK, and internationally, lots of schools choose to support our charity because the children want to help others the same age as themselves. Mount Kelly have done an incredible job fundraising, and are in fact our second highest fundraising school! For a small school in Devon, this is a huge achievement and we’d like to thank all the students and staff for really getting on-board to make this the success it has been.”
The sun broke through for the pupils and teachers to show off the SchoolBags they had packed that morning. The SchoolBags packed by the Mount Kelly Prep School students, will be driven to Ukraine in the coming weeks and distributed to school children who are still living in the country, but have lost their homes and schools. Last summer term, the then Year 8 students packed 60 SchoolBags which have been distributed to refugee children who had recently arrived in the UK, to help them settle into their schooling here.
A typical School Bag contains essential resources that will help a child to write, draw, colour, calculate, express themselves, eat, drink and above all, learn – 12 pencils, 10 biro pens, 12 colouring pencils, a math set, ruler, pencil case, six exercise book – lined, square and plain. Plus, a water bottle, mask and a lunch box containing a spork, small towel, bar of soap, toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste.
Dominic Floyd, Head of Prep said, “School in a Bag resonates loudly with our children. They can see the immediate benefits of this fantastic charity and it appeals to them all by reaching out to children of a similar age when facing devastation and hardship in their lives. Physically packing the bags and seeing exactly what their fundraising has achieved is the icing on the cake. It has been a tremendous effort by everyone and been a really meaningful experience.
“We set every child in the school the goal of raising £20 each, enough for one SchoolBag. Many of our pupils have excelled themselves and gone way beyond their targets by undertaking all sorts of personal and team challenges.
“At the Prep, pupils have sold lollipops, cakes, handmade key rings, jewellery and friendship bracelets. Sponsorship was raised by pupils taking part in the Exmoor Challenge, cycling across Cornwall, and a triathlon. Years 4 and 6 ran a Grand Raffle at the end of our Prep Sports Day, Year 3 pupils attempted to climb the height of Mount Everest using everything from bunk beds to Dartmoor Tors. Cars were washed, bric-a-brac sold and the Prep pupils charity committee ran a Drive-Thru for teas and hot chocolates.
”Meanwhile, pupils at the College and the Mount Kelly Parents’ Association ran quizzes, a Christmas fair, cabaret night and non-uniform days. It has been a stupendous effort by everyone.”
According to UNICEF, almost one fifth of the world’s child population will never attend school and are deprived of the opportunity to learn. School in a Bag helps by providing SchoolBags to any child in need, regardless of race, gender, religion, ethnicity or social class, and have so far distributed nearly 150,000 SchoolBags across 55 countries. For more information, the charity website is: www.schoolinabag.org
More photographs can be found on Facebook.
Categories: News Volunteering
