Year 8 Spark Program News

Sunshine Bendigo "Sparks" some interest in Year 8

This semester in the Year 8 Spark Program our classes will be learning about being a good citizen and how individual (and group) action can make a difference in the community. On Thursday June 8th, the founder of Sunshine Bendigo, Glenda Serpell, addressed the Year 8 students and told them all about the organisation and what it does for the Bendigo community. Sunshine Bendigo provides practical support to families in our community who are experiencing challenging times. They are a volunteer community group based in Bendigo and service all of central Victoria. The centre came about in 2016 due to a growing need in the region with families requiring a helping hand due to the challenge of providing for a family. Sunshine has been particularly busy in the last two years with the recent flooding in our region. They collect, sort and redistribute essential new and pre-loved baby goods and nursery equipment to families in need.  The Year 8 students listened with great interest and asked some insightful questions about how Sunshine manages to do this with no government funding and a volunteer workforce.  Glenda and Sunshine are certainly an example of how one person's vision and drive can make a positive impact on thousands of people.

After this session the Year 8 Spark classes were set a challenge - each class was to organise a Charity Event to raise funds or collect pre-loved goods for Sunshine Bendigo. The excitement in the room was palpable as the students started to work together and brainstorm what they could do. 

Stay tuned for further updates in Term Three as each class runs their own unique event to support a very worthy cause in our community.

Mrs Melinda Naughton

Learning Leader of the Achieve Program