General News
13 December, 2024
Bags of Joy donated for community
Maryborough Education Centre (MEC) has partnered with Maryborough Community House (MCH) and Y Ballarat again this year to provide much needed gifts for young people in the community.
MEC students have put together 28 large bags for young people who may miss out this Christmas.
Gifts that were donated include sports equipment, stationary, art supplies, store vouchers, and headphones. The school’s Jessy Malham brought the project to MEC four years ago after she founded a separate project 10 years ago with Y Ballarat.
Since then, the project has grown and partnered with the community house.
Jeannie Clark and Jo Carter volunteer with the MCH. They both agree that the strong collaboration between MEC, the Y Ballarat and the MCH has been a major factor in the program’s success.
“We support it because it’s a great collaboration between the community house and the school,” Ms Clark said.
They all said that this project is unique because of its contribution to helping families.
“A sense of community is important for being aware of who’s struggling in the community and how you can help,” Ms Carter said.
But to keep the project running for this long, Ms Malham said it’s the student’s involvement that has ensured its success every Christmas.
“That’s why it all started, experiencing all the joy you get from giving back to the community,” Ms Malham said.
It’s a sentiment Ms Carter couldn’t have agreed more with.
“It gives the students a sense of volunteering, which means we can get more young people involved,” she said.
She said that programs like this need younger locals to ensure their future and support older volunteers.
Ms Malham said the students love contributing too.
“It’s something they are excited for, looking forward to, asking about and wanting to donate to each year,” she said.
They also believe the students get a lot out of helping locals in need at Christmas. Ms Malham said the work the students do doesn’t go unnoticed.
“The impact this has on families and young people is massive,” she said.
MEC student, Audrey, agreed. She said that participating in the program has given her “happiness”.