With thanks to Ian McLaren, PR account manager, Innes Associates
A class of enterprising school children are set for Santa’s good list after raising money for Cash for Kids’ Mission Christmas gift appeal by making and selling hot chocolate reindeer.
Primary 4/5 at Westhill Primary School made the festive hot chocolate gifts to sell at the school’s recent Christmas Fayre.
Calling themselves Rudolph’s Hot Choc Team, the pupils filled clear plastic piping bags with hot chocolate powder and mini marshmallows to create a festive gift that could be given as a Christmas present.
The bags were decorated to look like Santa’s most important reindeer, Rudolph. Brown pipe cleaners tied the top of the bags and doubled as antlers, while boggle eyes and a small red pompom were added to complete Rudolph’s iconic look. Their creative endeavours helped the class pull in a sackful of cash which totalled £230, with £150 of that being donated to the Mission Christmas appeal and the remainder going to school funds.
The youngsters were inspired to support the Mission Christmas appeal after learning that thousands of children living in the north-east might wake up on Christmas morning without a present to open.
Mission Christmas is an annual children’s gift appeal that is organised by Aberdeen-based children’s charity Cash for Kids and this year’s appeal is supported by The Wood Foundation. Cash for Kids expects to distribute toys and gifts to around 5,000 north-east children this year and will gift three items, totalling around £50, to each child.
The Westhill Primary pupils visited the town’s Tesco store this week to spend their cash to purchase toys and gifts for the appeal. Managers at the store were so impressed by the pupils’ fundraising that they decided to give the youngsters £100 of extra toys to donate to the appeal.
Michelle Ferguson, Cash for Kids charity manager, said:
“This was a fantastic initiative from primary 4/5 at Westhill Primary School. We can’t thank them enough for supporting the Mission Christmas appeal and I know that all the items they’ve chosen will be really appreciated by all the children who receive them.
“Without the support of the north-east public we would not be able to support the thousands of children each Christmas. The public’s generosity is incredible, whether it’s donating items or volunteering to help distribute gifts. This year we are struggling for suitable items to fill applications for children aged seven and upwards, so any gifts that fit that category would be really appreciated.”
Westhill Primary teacher, Claire Thomson, said:
“When the children heard about the Mission Christmas appeal and that so many children in the area might not get a present to open on Christmas morning they really wanted to help. They did a brilliant job coming up with the idea of creating the hot chocolate reindeer, making them and then selling them at the fayre. There are definitely a few aspiring entrepreneurs in the class.”
To bolster financial donations to the appeal the charity is staging a Christmas jumper day on Friday, 11 December. The money raised by the £1 donation from each person taking part will be used to purchase gift cards, toys and gifts in order to fill any gaps.
The final day for donating toys and gifts to the appeal is Friday, 18 December. Around 90 donation points – more than ever before – are located across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire where people can drop off a new, unwrapped gift. The gifts will then be distributed to those in need in time for Christmas.
More information on the appeal, including a full list of donation points and information on the Christmas jumper day, can be found at www.northsound1.com/missionchristmas.
Cash for Kids is Northsound Radio’s listeners’ charity. It makes grants to individuals, families, children’s groups, organisations and projects throughout the Northsound transmission area. All money is raised locally and spent locally to benefit local disabled and disadvantaged children and young people under 18. More information on Cash for Kids can be found at www.northsound1.com/charity, or telephone 01224 337010.
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