Wills Primary pupils share Xmas spirit with gifts, songs

More than 70 pupils from Wills Primary School have been spreading festive cheer across Barbados, donating hundreds of gifts and raising funds to faith-based organisations and charities as part of their annual Christmas outreach.

The pupils from the Early Act Helping Hands Club donated over 250 gifts to four Catholic churches, a Catholic mission, an Anglican parish church, an Adventist congregation and Protestant charity the Salvation Army.

“We started doing this about 10 years ago, where instead of having the children do a Kris Kringle, we decided they get lots of gifts normally, so we asked them to bring in a gift for a child their age and their gender,” said patron Shelley Roach. “We then take all of those gifts and parcel them out and give them to the various organisations that can make sure they get where they’re supposed to go.”

Among this year’s beneficiaries were St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cathedral, St Dominic’s Church in Maxwell, Christ Church Parish Church, the Salvation Army, Living Water Community, Our Lady Queen of the Universe at Black Rock, Maranatha Seventh-day Adventist Church, and Our Lady of Sorrows at Ashton Hall, St Peter.

As part of their programme, the students also engage in fundraising activities to support these organisations financially. Emeritus patron Alicia George, who started the initiative 28 years ago, revealed the total funds raised: “$3 500 total in cash, not in gifts. This is a whole other 252 gifts; one child brought in 10.”

Roach highlighted the importance of teaching children the value of giving.

“They understand the need to make someone less fortunate than themselves happy for Christmas. We’ve been stressing the fact that you’re going to have a Christmas tree and lots of food and the house decorated, and you’re going to get up in the morning, and you’re going to open lots of gifts, and there are many children who won’t even have a home, far less the tree and the gifts underneath it. So if we can find a way to give them, even if it is one thing.”

“The kindness and generosity of the children and the parents, because it’s not the children who are buying the gifts, it’s the parents, it’s wonderful to see. It’s heartwarming to know that we have done something to help make someone happy for Christmas.”

The students from Class 1 to Class 4, also sang and performed.

“Today’s our outreach,” Roach explained. “We do this every year. We go to the old people’s home right here in Dover, Loving Care, and we sing for the residents. We take them a little gift, and the children have been preparing songs to sing for them.”

Additionally, the students will perform for tourists at Ocean 2 hotel and take part in a parade and performance at Lanterns Mall on December 20. “The kids will all meet at Lanterns Mall around five o’clock, and we’ll parade through Lanterns, then sing our songs and do a little performance for whoever is there,” she said.

(LG)