What an absolute joy it was to see and hear Year 9s back on campus again this week. The beautiful weather made the transition to eating outside in the fresh air much easier also.

As a cohort we are focusing on gratitude in Term 4. Within this focus is our Community Service Project, raising much needed funds for Women’s House at the Sacred Heart Mission, St Kilda. The students have written their own letter and created an educational poster about the Project, provided below.

“As a part of a student-led community service initiative, a group of girls in the Year 9 cohort have taken on the responsibility of leading a fundraiser for the Sacred Heart Mission in St Kilda. Through wide ranging services, research and innovation, the Sacred Heart Mission advocates for an inclusive, fair and compassionate community where people can overcome disadvantage and have a contributing life. They are committed to making sustainable differences in the lives of the most vulnerable members of society.

Specifically, we will be looking at supporting the Women’s House – a supportive engagement hub, tailored to help women who are homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless. While COVID-19 is preventing us from directly volunteering at the Women’s House, we are looking to run an initiative that involves collecting a variety of essential and luxury items, as well as cash donations. We will then collate these donations into care packages to be given to the Melburnian women who need them most.”

Some of the items we are specifically looking to collect include:

Essential Items:

• Shampoo and conditioner (regular size, not hotel sample size)
• Sanitary items (mainly tampons)
• Underwear (suggested size from the organisation is 12 or 14)
• Material/ fabric masks (not the disposable variety)
• Gift boxes for the care packages (at least 30cm x 25cm x 10cm), new gift boxes only

Luxury Items:

• Chocolate
• Body lotions/ moisturiser
• Makeup (foundation, mascara, eyeshadow, lip stick/gloss)
• Clothing items (e.g. t-shirts)

Small cash donations would also be greatly appreciated.

We will be collecting these items in large House coloured donation boxes in the Year 9 area over the coming weeks. We hope that many girls in the Year level will take up the opportunity to give back to someone in need.

Regards,

Year 9 Community Service Project Participants