The project and campaign 'Marist Noel' has grown out of the strong Marist180 desire and commitment to capture the Christmas spirit for the children and young people in our care, to a meaningful and memorable Christmas, by giving our clients a gift(s) of their choice.
We promoted this opportunity to our suppliers, community donors, extended community, the Marist family, and encouraged them to contribute in whatever way they can. Marist Noel raised $37993 in donations.
We also received gifts donated directly by families from St. Gregory's Junior School, Campbelltown, and Year 8 students from St Joseph’s College, Hunters Hill, and had fantastic assistance from a group of Year 10 Marist College, Kogarah students, who helped us with gift wrapping for several hours.
We introduced some innovations to the campaign this year. In July, we had the privilege of hosting a remarkable event sponsored by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA). This gathering brought together our esteemed potential donors from the Marist Community and our trusted suppliers, serving as a platform to showcase the significant impact of our initiatives and the invaluable contributions from our supporters. Throughout the evening, attendees were treated to engaging presentations, inspiring stories, and insightful discussions highlighting the transformative work we do. The event emphasised the crucial role of donations and support from our community, demonstrating how every contribution helps us achieve our mission.
We reached out to our supplier Optus to explore potential partnerships. They generously supported us by donating a new iPhone 16, which was raffled. This was our first time incorporating a raffle into our Marist Noel campaign, and we raised $2,220 from ticketsales.
In summary, many thanks to these Marist Schools for their support:
Marcellin College, Bulleen
Bunbury Catholic College
St Gregory’s Junior School, Campbelltown
St Joseph’s College, Hunters Hill
Marist College, Kogarah
Marist Catholic College, Penshurst
Marcellin College, Randwick
In addition to the Marist family, we also received generous contributions from other organisations. Through their generosity, and that of many others, more than 200 children and young people received Christmas gifts.
We are overwhelmed with gratitude for each and every donor who contributed to Marist Noel. We thank everyone for their support in creating this for and with us. Together, and by association, we are ‘creating positive change’.