Early Years Students Taking Part in the Samaritan's Christmas Shoebox Appeal
Last month, our Education and Early Years students packed up six shoeboxes filled with toys and activities for children less fortunate this Christmas with the Samaritan's Shoebox Appeal.
The Samaritan's Christmas Shoebox Appeal, also known as Samaritan’s Purse International Relief, is a fantastic initiative where the public is encouraged to pack up shoeboxes with gifts for children across the world whose families cannot generally afford Christmas presents. This year, the shoeboxes are being delivered to countries such as Ukraine, Moldova, Albania, Malawi, Ghana, the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, West Africa, and the Middle East. These shoeboxes will bring joy to children and let them know they are cared for.
This initiative was introduced to the students after one of our Early Years Educator T Level learners, Sophie, announced that she had been taking part in the Christmas Shoebox Appeal for the last seven years. During this time, she has sent off a total of 9 shoeboxes to help bring joy to children at Christmas time, and an extra six if you include the shoeboxes sent by her peers.
Sophie said, “Seeing how fortunate I am on Christmas to have a few presents compared to other children, I wanted to go out and make it so other children can feel special too. Seeing the smiles on the children's faces will be priceless for their parents and I just know that the parents will be grateful to the person who gave their child a gift. I also just believe that each child deserves a present on Christmas as it keeps their magic alive.”
“I think it’s important to get involved because it gives back to the community and helps others when in need. I often imagine how I would feel in that situation, and I would want to be helped during the festive time of year. Even donating to the charity, it allows children to get a gift at Christmas which means so much to them.”
In these boxes, the Early Years students packed up a range of items for both boys and girls, as well as babies. They had a brief to follow to ensure a wide range of gifts were bought to fit into each category and ensure every child had an appropriate present, including pens, colouring books, fluffy socks, toys, hairbrushes, and teddies, as well as more practical gifts such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, sanitary products, dummies, shower gel, and much more.
Students got stuck in, bringing in shoeboxes and wrapping them up as well as organising the presents to ensure each box contained suitable gifts for the recipient with a fair amount in each box. Students even included a group picture so the receiver could see who gifted them the shoebox as well as a signed note from the Education and Early Years students at Weston College.
By getting the students involved, it teaches them valuable lessons of generosity and the importance of donating to charity. They experienced the positive impact they could have on someone’s life, and for students who aim to work with children in the future, it gives them an idea of the different circumstances and backgrounds children can come from.
A big well done to all the students involved for making this possible, in particular Sophie who has been independently taking part in this tradition for years and for encouraging the other students to get involved, it is an amazing initiative to get involved with!
Early Years students packed up a range of toys and necessities for the Samaritan's Shoebox Appeal! 🎄🎁
This initiative forms part of the Education and Early Years Careers Excellence Hub. Weston College's Career Excellence Hubs are designed to be the launching pad for our learners' careers. In a world where connections and relevant skills matter more than ever, these hubs offer a holistic approach that prepares learners to thrive in their chosen industries. With the support of these hubs, our learners are well-equipped to make a significant impact in their professional journeys.
Progress to the next level in Education and Early Years! At University Centre Weston (UCW) our students give us impressive feedback, with our latest National Student Survey results putting us above average in all nine areas! Find out more about our exceptional teaching, wellbeing services and learning resources by visiting our website. Click here!
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