Term Three’s Charity Focus
With the holidays done and everyone returning rested and ready to get the term underway, I would like to bring to the forefront of everyone’s mind the College’s charity focus of Term 3, Karinya House and Home in Queanbeyan. These are two organisations that have been closely associated with the school for a number of years and align with St Edmunds’ core values. The four College touchstones directly correlate with their values, as they wish to be inclusive to all, provide justice, and follow God’s teachings in order to educate and support others. This is why, for the entirety of Term 3, our community will be raising funds to help support these organisations. There will be a number of fundraising opportunities for the boys to participate in including mufti-days and the long-awaited Heritage Round, and I implore all members of our community to contribute to these important causes.
Karinya House works with women in Canberra and the surrounding Region providing safety, shelter, and a positive support network. Every woman who is pregnant or parenting should be surrounded with the support she needs. However, not every woman has safety, shelter, or a positive support network. This is why the St Edmunds community, along with many others, help provide Karinya house with funds, so they are able to provide for women and their babies.
HOME in Queanbeyan provides long-term supported accommodation for twenty men and women with enduring mental illness. It features twenty self-contained residential apartments in a safe, loving, non-institutional setting. With the rising costs of fresh, healthy produce, St Edmunds has pledged that all raised funds for HOME in Queanbeyan, will go directly into purchasing local, fresh produce for their residents.
Home is 100% self-funded and Karinya House is only partially government funded, both of these charities rely on the public, their corporate partners, and schools and organisations like us. This is why we as a community must come together and help support these causes and follow in St Edmund’s ways. This can be as simple as a small gold coin donation, physically volunteering, or showing your support and raising awareness through events such as the annual sleepout. So, as I conclude I’d like to wish everyone a safe and happy Term 3,
Edmunds to the Fore.
Matthew McGrath
College Academic Vice-Captain
Stewardship of Liberating Education