Piggy bank bursting at the seams

Published: 25 December 2009

Impact: Caritas Brisbane diocesan director Patricia Ryan (centre) accepts the Piggytas donation from Year 5 students at St Brendan's, Moorooka

 

 

WHEN assistant principal for religious education at St Brendan's School, Moorooka, Elizabeth Jones invited Caritas Brisbane diocesan director Patricia Ryan to speak to Year 5 students she had no idea the impact it would have.

Ms Jones said the Year 5 students were looking to do something special for others, but had no idea just what to do.

It was not until Ms Ryan visited the school to collect Project Compassion donations and to outline the work Caritas performed in overseas countries that the Year 5s hit on their project idea for the year.

The students decided to save $50 to buy a pig for a village in a poor country under Caritas' Piggytas Project.

Year 5 teacher Nicola Walls said she asked students to donate change from tuckshop money to a "Piggy Bank" and students also began to add any extra money to the collection.

Mrs Walls said she was overwhelmed by the generosity and good intentions of the students.

"As soon as they saw the money increasing (thanks to a pig chart that recorded donations) students began foregoing treats at the tuckshop, instead placing the money into the 'Piggy Bank'; all the time remembering their donations would help others," she said.

Mrs Walls said that, after Ms Ryan's visit, the challenge was set even though she knew it would take the children all year to save the $50 for one pig.

"By the end of November the class had raised the necessary funds," she said.

"They were very excited and couldn't wait for Ms Ryan to come to school and to give her the money they had raised."

Mrs Walls said the students were happy they could see their efforts had been rewarded and they had helped others in the community and it was all on their own without any adult help.