Pupils donate school shoes

Grade 12 pupils from Bishop Bavin School and Assumption Girls Convent heeded the call to join the Sausage Saloon Shoe Drive.

Last Wednesday the matric pupils wrote their final paper. Afterwards, the pupils donated their school shoes to the initiative, which is set to benefit children from poverty-stricken communities.

Bishop Bavin pupils donated their shoes before the start of their exam and were each given a voucher for a free corn dog at any of the fast food joint outlets.

The company’s marketing manager, Mr Ralph Strange, said through the campaign they were looking to collect over 1 000 pairs of shoes.

“There are many children across South Africa who are still attending school without a pair of school shoes. This initiative not only aims to raise awareness of this cause, but to provide the much-needed pride to these children who crave knowledge, and who want to wear their uniform in its entirety,” he said.

Bishop Bavin’s marketing manager, Ms Samantha Pringle, said many are focused on the big things in education, like computers and tablet devices.

“But we often forget that for some children, walking long distances to school can take hours. Some of them even have to do this without shoes. The school is committed to assisting these dedicated children by trying to make a difference in their lives, albeit small,” said Ms Pringle.

The school has also extended an invitation to all pupils of the school who will get a chance to donate their shoes after the final assembly on December 4.

On that day, pupils have also been encouraged to come to school without shoes in order to raise awareness for those in need.

Mr Ross Davis, the deputy headmaster of Assumption Convent, said by participating in the Sausage Saloon’s School Shoe Drive, the pupils have the opportunity to make a small difference in another child’s life.

The school also extended the collection to all grades within the school to increase the number of shoes collected.