JACINTA BOLSENBROEK
30 Jun, 2010
MACKILLOP Catholic College Year 12s are heading over to Cambodia this week for a life changing experience.
The 12 students have worked hard during their high school years, volunteering their time in community service, and will embark on their journey this Saturday for 12 days.
Students were selected to go as part of their Service Learning Program based on their participation in voluntary community service over the years.
They also had to be ready and willing to take on the challenge of leaving home and helping members of the community they will live in.
The program has run since 2004, first in East Timor and for the past three years they have been going to Cambodia. Students have helped at the local orphanage, and done some hard labour too.
They are chosen from a large number of students who nominate in Year 11 and spend the next three terms preparing themselves and learning as much as they can about Cambodia, and fundraising.
This year’s group raised $28, 000 from sausage sizzles, movie nights and a local golf day event.
The school works closely to donate money to the community in Cambodia as well as their past community in East Timor.
The money goes entirely to meet the expressed needs of the various organisations.
Students meet all their own costs, and with the support of their families, work extremely hard to fundraise to support the three places they visit, LaValla a Marist school for disabled young people, New Hope for Cambodian Children, an orphanage whose children are infected with HIV, and Hagar, a Christian organisation which works with women and children, (some orphans, many children with disabilities and women and children rescued from the sex industry).
Lisa Baddock, Amber Bateman, Rikki Clark, Luke Hegney, Lauren Hogan, Chelsea Marino, John-Jake McMaster, Perri Nelson, Dean Papalia, Tessa Parry, Emma Ryan and Jack Smith are the 12 students selected, who said they were excited for their adventure.
Kathy Jackson, Paul Byrne and Ollie and Marion Behiels, will be accompanying the students on their trip.
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