PROGRAMMES | LUMEN
17 donation drives for food and shoes . Publicity for these donation drives was first carried out through the morning assembly followed by volunteers visiting the classes during the JFJ lessons to encourage Josephians to donate generously .
The SJI Fencing Team and National Police Cadet Corps ( NPCC ) organised a food donation drive in January for Food from the Heart . The non-profit organization feeds the needy through its food distribution programme . Students from every class were encouraged to bring canned and other nonperishable food items from their homes to contribute to the food donation drive . At the end of the collection period , approximately 600kg of food donations were collected , which was 12 times the initial goal of 50kg .
A different donation drive was organised by the SJI Athletic CCA for Soles4Souls , a charity organisation that collects unwanted shoes that are still in good condition . These shoes are then distributed to its micro-enterprise programs that create jobs in Haiti , Honduras and other developing nations . At the end of the donation drive , the athletes sorted and packed the shoes with the help of their teachers-in-charge , Ms Viven Sim and Ms Ivy Or .
Reflecting on his experience as a volunteer , Lutfil Hadi ( LE402 ) said , “ The charity event my CCA organised was meaningful and unique , so I jumped at the opportunity to take part in it . At
first it was rather daunting to visit each class and share about our project . However , with each visit , my friends and I gained confidence and a sense of purpose . This experience really helped me to appreciate the SJI spirit of giving and helping , even in the smallest ways possible .”
His view was echoed by Ryan Sing ( LE401 ), who shared , “ Great opportunities to help others are rare but small ones surround us every day . No matter how small one ’ s contribution is , together , a big difference can be made . Rallying around a meaningful cause also helped us to develop stronger bonds with each other .”
In the same vein of service to the community , a food donation drive was organised in April . The SJI Military Band ( SJIMB ) sought to support Canossaville Children and Community Services , a non-profit organisation that is committed to the mission of serving the lives of children with special needs and their families across their preschool and primary years . To the delight of the SJIMB , the teachersin-charge , and the staff of Canossaville , the donations exceeded their initial targets .
The Bandsmen articulated their appreciation of the meaning of compassion and service in these words : “ We live in a world where we often see people in need . As students of SJI , we should lend a helping hand to those who are less fortunate by providing aid to those who need it .”
Fraternity and Social Friendship In the third encyclical letter of his papacy , the Holy Father Pope Francis speaks of hearts without borders through fraternity and social friendship . In so doing , the Pontiff believes , we will each contribute to the makings of a fraternal world . It is our hope that with each passing year , we will as a school community grow in our efforts to reach out to our brothers and sisters without any hesitation on our part .
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Sharing one ’ s blessings and paying it forward
“ are qualities of the Josephian community that SJI strives to build .
Facing page ( top ): NPCC cadets helping Food from the Heart volunteers with the transportation of the collected food items
Facing page ( bottom ): NPCC cadets along with the collected food items
This page ( top ): Members of the SJI Athletics Team with the shoes generously donated by the SJI community
This page ( bottom left ): Bandsmen presenting their food donation drive to a class
This page ( bottom centre ): All donations at Canossaville