This article is from page 33 of the 2008-04-29 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 33 JPG
THE students of Gort Community College last week did 30,000 good deeds for the people of Africa. Last Friday, the school presented Bothar with a cheque for €1,500 – raised through the collection of more than 30,000 copper coins.
The collection was undertaken 24 student from second year who have raised enough money to send two cows to needy families in Africa.
“They started a copper collection there before Christmas. It was going well and then Bothar, as it happens, started their own copper collection
not that long afterwards. They start- ed off my collecting up any loose copper from their houses and their cars and they they started asking everyone else to do the same,” said teacher Virginia Keane.
“At this point they have four huge buckets filled with coppers. But as they were collecting people started to give them other money – they started to get fivers and teners off of people without even asking and the whole thing just grew from there. but is mainly coppers.
“They really didn’t want to be ask- ing people for large amounts fo mon- ey because there are an awful lot of
charities out there now. They didn’t walk to be doing walks or selling lines either – they wanted to do some- thing different, so they just hit upon the idea of the copper collection.”
Bothar officials visited the school on Friday and gave the children a presentation detailing exactly where the money raised will go.
“The class voted for who they wanted to give the money to. One of the main reasons that they went for Bothar was because they help people in a good few different places around the world. They wanted to help peo- ple in different countries and now they have enough to send two cows
to two different families in Africa,” continued Virginia.
“A lot of the children come from farming backgrounds and the idea of sending cattle or animals appealed to them more than money.
“They children get a to learn a lot through projects like this. Bothar came in on Friday and gave them a proper talk – it’s great for them to see where the money that they have raised is going to instead of just read- ing about it.
“There is a good bit of fundraising going on it the school. It is a part of the philosophy around here and the children really do seem to enjoy it.”