Even in difficult times the generosity of the local community shines bright.
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The Red Bend Catholic College community has raised $1400 for two of its sister schools, and facilitated an incredible $5000 in donations for St Vincent de Paul this Christmas.
The College Vinnies team and Bernardis have provided a total $5000 in goods and vouchers for Vinnies to distribute to families in need this Christmas and holiday season.
College staff, Year 10 and 11 students have also worked through the year to raise the funds for their sister schools in Santa Teresa in the Northern Territory, and in Giasnogor Bangladesh.
Red Bend director of faith formation, Matthew Pearce, said it was not only about financial contributions to each cause but raising awareness of inequality
"The main message is, "if we can" rather than "everyone must"," Mr Pearce says, and his focus is on the "why".
The St Marcellin School in Bangladesh is a boarding school that is free to children who have been enslaved in the tea gardens.
The school opened in 2017, and ideally the College's Bangladesh immersion team would travel there. COVID has stopped that, but students still put their hands up to be part of the fundraising efforts.
In Santa Teresa, the students partner with the Ltyentye Apurte Catholic Education Centre and ideally they would also get to spend time there.
The focus is global as well as local, and right here in Forbes, Bernardis partnered with the school to meet the identified need to support some 200 families this Christmas.
Weekly breakfast barbecues, regular trips to the Return and Earn, and donations toward a coin tower were just a few of the things the teams did to raise funds in a year that had its fair share of disruptions.
The results prove that every effort adds up, they have applied themselves through the challenges and disruptions of COVID.
Mr Pearce expressed his thanks to all involved: Bernardis as well as the teachers who gave their own time to to support the projects.
"Special thanks to these teams for all their efforts this year," he said.
"Thank you to everyone who has donated to this worthy cause."
