Pupils’ party money donated to charity
Pupils at a rural South Canterbury school have won praise for a selfless act of charity.
The combined year 5 and 6 class at the Winchester Rural School had raised money for an enterprise project and were free to use any funds left over – $300 – on something they wanted, including a class party, teacher Ali Bowan said.
‘‘Someone said why don’t we bring what we want to the party ourselves, and give the money to charity,’’ she said.
On Monday, the money was donated to the Salvation Army’s Temuka branch member Alison Anderson, who many of the pupils knew from when she taught at the school.
‘‘It was very selfless of them to think of something like that,’’ Bowan said.
Anderson and the army had been suggested as the recipients because she was someone they knew who would know the charities and who the money would help the most.
Anderson, who worked at the foodbank for 19 years, said the pupils’ decision was ‘‘so generous’’.
‘‘The kids could have gone to The Warehouse and spent all this money on themselves,’’ she said.
Anderson said she would make sure the money would get to the people most in need.
‘‘It will go to the needy – the ones who you wouldn’t really know about.’’
The pupils’ donation tied in with messages Bowan had been telling them during the year.
‘‘We do talk in general a lot about life out there, and how fortunate we are,’’ she said.
‘‘I’ve always sort of talked about how giving to someone else makes that person feel good, and makes you feel good as well,’’ Bowan said.
Anderson said the pupils’ actions had given her back a ‘‘faith in humanity’’.
‘‘What a joy – because you hear so much about bad news, and here’s these kids doing good things.’’