As Anglicare Ambassadors we were asked to organise a fundraiser to raise money for Anglicare. We had monthly meetings where we would brainstorm, allocate tasks and organise events. Being an ambassador so far this year has required commitment as we would have to attend events at other schools after school till late in the evening and host events at our school.
I was driven to join Anglicare from my desire to give back to the community and help the less fortunate. As an organisation, they focus on helping anyone and everyone living in poor conditions such as; victims of domestic abuse, the homeless youth and people living with disabilities. I felt motivated to do whatever I could do to improve the lives of this particular demographic and use my privilege to make a difference. The conditions they live in similarly align with the conditions of people living in poverty in India live in, since I was young I have always had the urge to help them and would give them money. Finally being able to contribute to something like this on a bigger scale means a lot to me and has helped me take the first step in achieving one of my many life goals.
I have a newfound respect for Anglicare and what they do for the wider community and hope that my contributions to the cause enhance their impacts. One day I would love to be further involved in what they do and have a bigger part to play but for now, I am truly content with the contribution the Anglicare Ambassadors are making to the organisation.
As a year 10 ambassador, we were originally allowed to participate in street connect, which would require us to go to the city and distribute clothing and food to the homeless and connect with the homeless. Sadly, the state decided we were too young to be exposed to these sorts of living conditions. While this was upsetting, we didn’t allow it to dishearten us, which motivated us to put more effort into our fundraiser. I gladly took up the role of guiding the group, allocating tasks while taking on many myself, coming up with new ideas and working out solutions. I have definitely been able to improve my leadership skills through Anglicare and have discovered my potential in service and leadership.
Anglicare day itself: On the 17th of June 2021, all the Ambassadors and a selection of students came to school early to put our plans to action… This included teachers’ hair bright funky colours (temporarily of course!). We had set up a fundraising project the week before encouraging students to donate gold coins and vote for a teacher. The teachers who raised the most money ended up dying their hair. Alongside this we also held a jumper day, meaning students could wear a jumper for a gold coin donation, this was definitely a good idea considering it was the middle of winter! The events continued into lunch where students and staff could buy a hotdog for $3, run by the Ambassadors with Mr Corbett’s help.
