MISSIO Scotland had 2000 reasons to celebrate recently as generous pupils from St Leonard’s Primary School presented a cheque for more than £2000 to the charity at a recent assembly.
Senior class teacher Paul Houston was the main catalyst for choosing to focus on the work of Missio Scotland and the excellent fundraising that that school has undertaken in support of the organisation.
Consistency has been key to St Leonard’s fundraising success, who have not only met the challenge of being children helping children, but have also followed Missio Scotland’s message of praying a little and giving a little.
“About four or five years ago when we were still in the old school, I felt that fundraising for Missio Scotland had fallen by the wayside a little, so I took on the responsibility of trying to reverse that trend,” Mr Houston said. “I decided to try and set some fundraising targets for the pupils—initially £1000—and we used a totaliser to see how we were getting on. We originally had a trophy which was presented to the class who had raised the most on any given week, but we changed that to the most improved class. That was just something to generate further interest in all honesty.
“The children have been brilliant at putting money in the collection boxes each week for Missio Scotland and we always wanted to stress to them that it didn’t matter what denomination of coin they donated as every penny counts! Both the children and their parents deserve great credit for their ceaseless generosity.”
As a result, the children were able to present Gerard Gough—Missio Scotland’s Communications Officer—with a cheque the fantastic total after he had delivered an assembly explaining where their money goes and who it will help.
The fantastic amount raised by St Mary’s will go to the Missionary Children branch of the PMS, the Church's Mission Charity for children. In Scotland, it works in tandem with Catholic Primary Schools and asks children to do two things every day: Pray for the children in mission areas of the world and donate a small coin. Missionary Children joins with children all over the world to help some of the poorest children in the world, children of all faiths or none and also seeks to develop young people and prepare them as the missionaries of the future. Its funds help to: Build clinics, supply medicines and nutritional help, support education projects for children (building, funding and supplying schools). The donations help to develop a child both in an educational and spiritual sense.
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gerard@missioscotland.com