Notre Dame students raise funds and awareness for youth homelessness. Pictured are MacKillop house captains Ceanna Colomb and Donal Shiju, Northeast Youth Services’ Jim Gow, Mercy Blend Café facilitator Anita Lemke, MacKillop head of house Gino Saracino and McGann house captains Oriarna Macreadie and Scarlet Tacey.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
For six weeks, the sweet smell of waffles drifted through the Mercy Blend Café at Notre Dame College — but the real impact reached far beyond breakfast.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
MacKillop and McGann house captains led the fundraiser, selling waffles for $4 each from 8.15am to 8.45am.
Their efforts raised $412, which was donated to the Salvation Army to support local youth experiencing homelessness by providing essentials such as clothing and toiletries.
“We chose this organisation because youth homelessness is an issue that affects our community significantly, including some of our fellow students,” MacKillop house captain Donal Shiju said.
The initiative went hand-in-hand with awareness raising.
Northeast Youth Services representative Jim Gow spoke to more than 500 students about homelessness in the Goulburn Valley, highlighting that nearly 80 young people sleep rough in Shepparton each night.
“I think some of those statistics were a bit eye-opening for this group,” Mr Gow said.
“The awareness is hugely valuable.”
MacKillop house captain Ceanna Colomb said the experience gave students perspective.
“We’ve all been quite lucky and privileged to never have to be affected by homelessness,” she said.
“Through the research, we ourselves learnt so much, and the awareness we were able to bring to our community was just as important as the money raised.”
The funds will be converted into vouchers for young people who seek help from the Salvation Army, allowing them to buy necessities such as jackets, shoes or toiletries.
“They usually don’t come with much,” Mr Gow said.
“So, being able to hand out vouchers means they can choose what they need most.”
McGann house captain Oriarna Macreadie said the fundraiser reminded students that homelessness wasn’t always visible.
“It’s not just living on the streets — there are so many hidden forms of it,” she said.
Back: MacKillop head of house Gino Saracino, Northeast Youth Services’ Jim Gow and Mercy Blend Café facilitator Anita Lemke. Front: MacKillop house captain Ceanna Colomb, McGann house captains Oriarna Macreadie and Scarlet Tacey and MacKillop house captain Donal Shiju.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
7°C