17 Jul 2012
Matong Public School students recently held a toy and book drive and mufti day in aid of the Children's Ward at the Wagga Wagga Base Hospital.
A large range of new books, toys, DVD's, colouring pencils and games were generously donated by school students, their families, staff and members of the wider Matong community. School captains, Bao Tran Dang and Max Hatty, accompanied by P. and C. president, David Currie, and school principal, Ian Lucas, travelled to the hospital with the array of donations. When handing over the gifts to nurse unit manager, Pam Rawle, Bao Tan explained that the school holds a fundraiser each term for a designated charity. Stewart House, Jump Rope For Heart, Smiles Day, Operation Christmas Child and the MS Foundation have been recent recipients but this time it was decided to assist an organisation closer to home. Students from our school have been patients in the Children's Ward at Wagga Wagga Base and a parent mentioned that they were always in need of quality toys and books to occupy patients and their siblings. Max described the outfits some of the students and staff donned for the mufti day, which had a hospital theme, with crutches, bandages, slings, hospital gowns and stethoscopes being just some of the clothes and accessories worn. He explained that the money raised on the mufti day was used to purchase a portable DVD player and thanked Whitby's Betta Electrical, Narrandera, for their generosity in enabling us to purchase the top of the range model with the funds we had available. Pam thanked the students and the school community for choosing the Children's Ward as the beneficiary of their fundraising efforts and assured the captains that the gifts would be well received and greatly appreciated by the children in hospital. The visit concluded with a guided tour of the Children's Ward.