With this
amount, the three charitable causes elected: Refeitório Social de Quarteira,
Centro de Apoio aos Sem-Abrigo (CASA - Albufeira), and The Big Hand Project
received checks for the amounts of 2,500, 2,200, and 1,500 euros, respectively.
The
donations of this international education school’s community enabled three
special needs families (whose children require diapers and other hygiene
products on a daily basis) to get 250 euros each, totalling 750 euros. As well
as supporting these families, backed by Mãozinhas Solidárias, CIV also
sponsored 22 other children with gifts and basic necessities collected during
its employee’s Christmas dinner.
During the Christmas Fair, food items were collected and later delivered to Banco Solidário (an Existir project). These will be distributed to some of the 464 citizens to which the association provides assistance in the Loulé municipality.
After a
two-year hiatus, CIV revived the esteemed Shoebox Appeal project, which
resulted in the donation of nearly 200 "shoeboxes" filled with gifts
to Caritas Diocesana Algarve. The gifts will now brighten up the lives of most
of the 197 families supported by this solidarity organization.
Furthermore, in November, several teams of students and teachers participated in the Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome food collection campaign at 143 supermarkets in the region. This initiative helped collect 140 tons of food that will support 126 social solidarity institutions, benefiting almost 24 thousand people in total.
Because
animals are also a part of the family and part of care, CIV delivered to Animal
Rescue Algarve (ARA), in addition to food items collected at the Christmas
Fair, a solidarity check of 90 euros, a sum raised during World Food Day by
healthy food stalls.
"It is the involvement of students and the school community in helping others that brings to life the humanistic values of the educational project of Vilamoura International School. Volunteering and dedicating time and energy to those in need are some activities students participate in. The importance of involving children and young people in defining and achieving a better, fairer, more balanced, and more humane world cannot be overstated! We are very proud of the educational community that, year after year, mobilizes around values which we consider essential to our society", said Cidália Bicho, Vilamoura International School Pedagogical Director.
Vilamoura
International School