Fair Trade Drinking Chocolate Fundraiser for Children in Malawi

   On Wednesday 29 June, the St. Jo's Vinnies ran a fundraiser to help assist the community over in Malawi that past-Vinnie, Rebecca Nott served during her missionary trip last year. Rebecca who came to speak to the St. Jo's Vinnies at the end of Term 1 was able to offer us a number of different ways that we could be of support in helping to continue the good work she had begun. One of the ways the Vinnies have decided to help is raising money that will be of use in purchasing needed resources for the educational facilities in Malawi that Rebecca helped out at. The St. Jo's Vinnies used Fair Trade drinking chocolate to create hot drinks for approximately 200 students at St. Joseph's. From this $206 was raised which will be presented to Rebecca at the beginning of Term 3 for the purchasing of resources.
 

Vinnies Present Tissue Pockets and Cards to Greta Tapper

   On Monday 23 May, the St. Joseph Vinnies had great pleasure in presenting Greta Tapper with the tissue pockets and cards they made for the people with disabilities that she works with. Greta was able to share with us how these people can end up quite housebound and need special people like Greta to come to take care of them and help them with many things that we so often can take for granted. For many of these people life is quite lonely and so we hope that our thoughtful cards and gifts will help to brighten the day for the people who will be receiving them.

 

Tissue Pockets for People with Disabilities

   Term two has got off to a busy start for the St. Joseph Vinnies who started the term creating tissue pockets for people with disabilities. These pockets which each contain a pack of travel tissues will no doubt come in handy as the weather becomes cooler now that we are in the middle of Autumn heading towards Winter. They will be put with the cards that the St. Joseph Vinnies made last term for the people with disabilities that Greta Tapper assists. We look forward to having Greta come back to visit us on the 23 May to tell us about the work she does and to present her with what we have created.

Vinnies Present Beth Hunter from Tedz4Kidz with Basket of Goodies for Comfort Packs

   On Monday 11 April, the St. Joseph Vinnies were able to present Beth Hunter, Coordinator of the Nelson Tedz4Kidz Organisation with a basket filled with notebooks and pencils created by the St. Joseph Vinnies along with a soft toy, felts, coloured pencils and a colouring book all of which are able to be put into the Tedz4Kidz comfort packs for children who have come out of situations of trauma. This was a great end to a term which saw us busy with this project to assist in making a positive difference in these children's lives.

Ex-Vinnie shares news of her missionary trip to Africa

   On Monday 4 April, the St. Joseph Vinnies were fortunate to have Rebecca Nott share with us details of her trip to Africa  where she assisted in Malawi at an early childhood centre, secondary school and learned more as to the life led by the World Vision children she supports. Rebecca was able to share with us just how different life is for the people there; how many of the things we take for granted simply aren't available or are in limited access and how malnutrition affects the health and wellbeing of the people living in this country.  Rebecca, who was a St. Joseph Vinnie in 2009 and 2010 is a fantastic role-model for the Vinnies coming through, her enthusiasm for helping others is great to see and we look forward to finding ways of supporting the work she has begun over there as the year progresses.

St. Joseph Vinnies create pencils and notebooks for Tedz4Kidz Organisation

   Term One has got off to a busy start for the St. Joseph Vinnies who have been creating notebooks and pencils for the Tedz4Kidz Organisation - an organisation that makes up care parcels for children who have come out of situations of trauma. We have been really fortunate to have Greta Tapper come to teach the St. Joseph Vinnies how to make the notebooks.  We look forward to presenting these to a member of Tedz4Kidz on the 11 April along with other needed items for their care parcels contributed by members of the Vinnies team.

   In the photos below we see Greta teaching the Vinnies how to thread their notebooks as well as a selection of the items that will go into the basket of goodies we will be presenting.

Vinnies Present Backpacks of Stationery to Refugee Services

   On Monday 7 December, the St. Joseph Vinnies were able to present to Jettie and Chandra from Refugee Services the backpack of stationery supplies that they had put together as part of this year's Gold Level Project. The backpacks which contained a pencil case of pencils, pens, highlighters and an eraser, a ruler, school exercise books and NZ activity packs containing activity sheets and sheep bookmarks created by the Vinnies  will be given to refugee children who are newcomers in our local community. The Nelson Tasman Youth Workers Collective also supported this project in supplying wristbands, CDs, badges and information as to youth services and support in the Nelson/Tasman region. We hope that these practical items will be of great help to refugee children as they settle into their new schools and life in our country.