Once a month at Provo Primary School, we offer our children the chance to ‘dress down’ and have a non-uniform day in return for a donation of a dollar that goes towards a chosen charity. This November, we decided to ask our children to do something a bit different and donate a gift for the Provo Children’s Home.
Provo Children’s Home is a private organisation that takes care of children on the island that cannot be with their families. Currently they are in temporary accommodation and are waiting to move into their new building in Chalk Sound in mid December.
For the past few weeks one of our teachers, Miss Beki, has been volunteering at the Home, spending time hanging out with the children, doing homework, playing games, all those things many children get to do on a regular basis, one to one with someone at home. It was this that gave her the idea to dedicate our December Dress Down to be a ‘Christmas Drive’, as the Home rely on the donations. We asked our children to bring in a gift, (ranging from bed linen and tupperware to toys and books) and these gifts could be new or in a good used condition.
The Christmas Drive proved to be a huge success. Our school community was incredible and everyone ‘dug REALLY deep’ and brought in some fantastic gifts, which will be much appreciated by the children at the Home. Kelly and Jaime Hedges , who run the Provo Children’s Home, were very excited to arrive at the end of the day and be greeted with piles and boxes filled with goodies for the children.
This event was also a wonderful day for our children as it gave them the opportunity to appreciate how much they have and allow them to give something back from themselves rather than a dollar that often comes directly from Mum or Dad’s wallet. It was particularly touching to hear one parent’s story: For months she had been unsuccessful in trying to get her daughter to get rid of a few toys, but on the morning of the Christmas Drive was amazed to see that she had (off her own back) picked out a huge pile of things to give to the Provo Children’s Home.
Other community members have also supported our event. The Casablanca Casino has donated lots of toiletry items and through Mr Patrick Lynch of Sandals, Beaches Resort and Spa has offered a very generous donation of a Christmas food hamper of meat, and vegetables and fruit and also possibly a Christmas Eve or Christmas day meal for the children and helpers. There was also a number of cheque donations and three toy donation boxes from staff of BCQS, Misick & Stanbrook & Hallmark Bank & Trust.
Thank you everyone for your generosity in supporting this very worthy cause and we hope that the children all enjoy a wonderful Christmas in their new home.
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If you would like to make a donation or would like further information about PCH please contact info@PCH.tc or visit their website at: www.pch.tc