Pupils at St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School have come together to raise an incredible £3,000 for local homelessness charity Emmaus South Manchester.
On Friday 23 October, a group of four children from St Anthony’s Pupil Leadership Team visited Emmaus South Manchester to learn more about the charity and receive thanks for their fundraising efforts.
As part of the school’s annual Lenten Appeal, children researched local charities and considered how they could support those in need. After learning about several organisations and the work they do in the local community, pupils voted to support homelessness charity Emmaus South Manchester.
Jenson, a St Anthony’s pupil and Mini Vinnies President, said: “We feel really proud to support Emmaus and help people in our local community. It was a great experience to visit the charity shop and see the work they do to help others.”
St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School, based on Dunkery Road in Wythenshawe, is part of the Corpus Christi Catholic Academy Trust. The fundraising campaign formed part of the school’s commitment to Catholic Social Teaching, encouraging pupils to live out Gospel values through service, compassion and care for those most in need.
Throughout Lent, every class planned and organised their own fundraising activities, which included a sponsored swim, Bake-Off competition, a danceathon and Easter egg raffles. From promoting events and designing posters, to collecting donations and encouraging participation, the pupils played an active role in every stage of the fundraising process.
St Anthony’s Headteacher, Elisabeth Simmons, said: “At St Anthony’s, we want our children to understand that faith is something we put into action. Emmaus South Manchester was chosen by the pupils because they recognised that homelessness is an issue affecting people in our local community.
“We support many charities throughout the year, but this was a wonderful opportunity for pupils to make a difference to people living on our doorstep. We are incredibly proud of the enthusiasm, compassion and generosity shown by every child and family who contributed to this fantastic total.”
Emmaus South Manchester is a charity that will empower people to overcome homelessness for good. The charity is working to raise funds to open a new Emmaus community that will offer a stable home and life-changing support to people in need.
Reuben Phillips, Operations Manager at Emmaus South Manchester, said: “A massive thank you to all involved at St Anthony’s for raising such a fantastic sum of money for our charity. The money raised will help us with the charitable work we do and our long-term vision of building a new Emmaus community to support people affected by homelessness.”
To find out more and support Emmaus South Manchester, visit: https://emmaus.org.uk/south-manchester