Christmas giving in the air as Saints aids Santa Shoebox

November 24, 2020 | Campus

The Santa Shoebox Project aims to give underprivileged children a Christmas present. Each year the project collects and distributes personalised gifts of essential items and treats for children throughout South Africa and Namibia. St Stithians College has supported this worthy charity for a number of years and this year has been no different, with participation by our staff, driven by our incredible HR Department as well as our Girls' and Boys' Colleges, who not only donated boxes but also gave of their time....

Many of our students have been packing Santa Shoeboxes for a number of years now, with the wonderful support of their parents and teachers at the Girls' and Boys’ College. This year has been no exception. Our students have grabbed the opportunity to be useful in a powerful way: bringing joy to an underprivileged or orphaned child by gifting them with a carefully packed and beautifully wrapped Santa Shoebox to enjoy over the festive season.

We would like to thank Dr Gladys Ayaya, with the assistance of Ms Lizelle Swanepoel in the Boys' College, for taking initiative on the project this year. Ms Swanepoel stood in for Mrs Tamaryn Ross (currently on maternity leave), driving the project. In the Girls' College, we thank Elana Shaw, Vicky Chilvers and Christa Van Tonder for co-ordinating and ensuring the success of this year's donations.

This year our Saints HR department registered “Team Saints” and pledged 20 boxes. We reached out to all staff to be part of this initiative and help us achieve the target. Team Saints was able to donate a total of 36 personalised shoeboxes. Because not everyone could pledge a full box, we also received multiple items and cash donations. Thank you One & All.

The items we dropped off at Santa Shoebox JHB Flagship in Strydompark. A big thank you to all staff who contributed to this initiative and to Joe for securing the boxes in plastic so that they do not get damaged by the rain and for delivering them on time.

A special thank you to all our dedicated students who brought boxes and signed up to volunteer their free time at the flagship station from 5 to 7 November. The staff at the volunteering station have been most grateful for the help, complimenting our students on their conduct and assistance. Our students and staff keep Making a World Of Difference

Thank you #OneAndAll.