16 December, 2021
Students at Ormiston Venture Academy have been supporting young people in Eastern Europe and Africa through their annual shoebox appeal.
Following the launch of this year’s shoebox appeal, students across the academy have been busily packing items ready to provide some Christmas cheer for those less fortunate. The Samaritans ‘Operation Christmas Child’ is where shoeboxes full of gifts are created and then delivered to children who need them most, as Christmas presents.
A shoebox gift provides a connection between different cultures, backgrounds and nationalities. It bridges the gap between those who have something to give and those who can’t wait to receive it. Students at Venture were told that over one million shoeboxes were sent out from the UK and Ireland again last year, with 5,000 UK volunteers helping to prepare the shoeboxes for delivery in fourteen different countries again in 2021.
With 2020 being such a difficult year for everyone, the Samaritans “Operation Christmas Child” Appeal was perhaps even more important than ever, with even more young people across the world struggling to provide basic necessities, let alone gifts at Christmas time.
Students, teachers, administration staff and parents packed an impressive 43 shoeboxes that were then delivered to the local drop off point in Norwich. The whole Ormiston Venture community was delighted to be involved in something so interesting that will bring so much joy to so many young people in parts of the world they may never visit. With the shoeboxes from last year arriving in Romania for Christmas, everyone at the academy is excited to see which country they will be helping in 2021.
Spencer Doggett, director of learning cultures , said: “Tutors showed a video about the shoebox appeal and it clearly hit home. It makes students realise that life in Great Britain is perhaps far less difficult than it is in other parts of the world, even after the pandemic. Despite another tough year for our own communities here on the east coast, we have managed to pull together and hope to better last year’s total number of boxes, providing even more young people who our students will never even meet, something to smile about on Christmas Day 2021”
Category: News
Tags: Fundraising, Ormiston Venture Academy, Samaritans Operations Christmas Child, Shoebox appeal, Social action, Venture
