Weekes' Weekly News

Dear Sacred Heart Kew Families,

‘But I would walk 500 miles’... and today, many of us did. For a good cause.

Today was our annual Walk-a-thon, with children and staff pounding the pavements, raising money, supporting CatholicCare, in support of Family Week, which was earlier this month. 

Each year, CatholicCare celebrates Family Week and provides an opportunity for school communities to put faith into action and help support some of the most vulnerable families in our community. Fundraising efforts go towards supporting families in need across Victoria. Thanks to everyone for their generous support of CatholicCare and those families who are vulnerable in our community. 

We all know that families are important. But, why raise money for people we don’t know? 

Often, we may ask ourselves this question, when a cause or organisation is presented to us, and we’re asked to support or donate money or items of value. We might also wonder if our donation(s) are making any difference, are the people who really need our help, actually receiving assistance, are their lives changing for the better, due to our support?

And at other times, we don’t have to ask this question. As we know all too well that many families, and many people in our society and community are struggling to make ends meet, especially, at the present time. Any donations and/or support will be gratefully received. 

So, why support families? 

Supporting families in need so that they can be the best versions and environments for all members is crucial and much needed in today’s world. Families come in various shapes, sizes and forms, and each of these family units holds many parts, pieces and things together for each of us, shaping who we are and how we go out and participate in the game of life. The good and the bad. 

Growing up, I certainly took for granted just how much my family unit moulded me. From a very young age my family provided me with a sense of belonging and identity, encouragement, emotional support, security and guidance throughout life’s challenges. Much love was shown to me, as they accepted me for who I was, flaws and all, and love regardless of my achievements or failures. Values, morals, social norms were taught to me, shared memories and traditions were created, my world view was formed by my family and their ideas and perspectives on life. I learnt skills and behaviours from different family members, shaping my development as a human being. My family was my first social network, learning how to interact with others, communicate effectively and navigate relationships. My family and I would say that most other families I knew were similar, but perhaps that was just my naivety and simplistic view of things as a youngster. 

As an older and more experienced individual, I realise now that things are far more complicated when you are an adult, than back when you were a child. Life is not easy for some, and things seem to be getting harder for people every day. We all appreciate that not everyone is lucky in life, not everyone lives the way we do, not everyone is blessed with a supportive and positive family unit and for various reasons, some people miss out on a great deal in life, often, through no fault of their own. It’s also true that the cost of living crisis is impacting everyone at the moment, in many forms, not just the vulnerable in our society.

I sincerely thank all members of our Sacred Heart Kew community and extended community (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, neighbours/pets) for not just your generous donations of our walkers today, but for still seeing the importance of supporting other families in our community and society, some of which you will never know or see, but who will receive assistance through your generosity and kindness of heart. Your support is greatly appreciated by many. Appreciated by us as a school, CatholicCare and those in need. Thank you for always thinking of others. It’s something that I feel we should all be very proud of at Sacred Heart Kew. 

Wishing everyone a lovely weekend. 

I look forward to seeing all the sick members of our community return to full health soon. 

Kind Regards,

Ed Weekes

School Principal