House Charities
Each of the College Houses chooses a focus for their efforts in fundraising and awareness each year. These House Charities vary from year to year but include organisations such as Marist Youth Care, Foster Parents Indonesia, Marist Solidarity Projects, Sion Social Justice projects and other Catholic organisations. It is a great way for Houses to connect our beliefs as Christians with action for change.
Caritas
The College supports Project Compassion, the major fundraising event for Caritas, a Catholic agency for international aid and developement, which is held each lent. Caritas is Latin for ‘love and compassion’, two qualities which are central to their work. Students across all Year Levels of the College learn about the work of Caritas, with a particular focus in Year 9 Religious Education classes.
Tinnies for Vinnies
Our annual Heritage Day justice activity is to collect donations of non-perishable food, which are given to the Warragul and Drouin St Vincent de Paul Societies for distribution in the local area. All families are invited to contribute to this worthy cause, which allows the local St Vinnies conference to provide much needed support to families in need.
St Vincent de Paul Society | Fitzroy Soup Van Street Retreats (SVSR)
https://www.vinnies.org.au/page/Find_Help/VIC/Food/Fitzroy_Soup_Van/
Our College is proud to be recognised as the first Victorian school involved with the Vinnies Fitzroy Soup Van, commencing in 1993. The Fitzroy Soup Van operates seven nights a week and brings practical assistance, friendship and genuine concern to people in need within our community. This inner-city experience allows our students to witness the issue of homelessness in Melbourne and to develop empathy by walking in another’s shoes to appreciate the hardship that is often hidden in our local country town. Our students bring care packages of bathroom essentials, socks, gloves and beanies to distribute to the people we serve after they have collected their soup and food items. This often leads to heart-warming conversations, an opportunity to see the world through another’s eyes, and hopefully a greater appreciation for the things we often take for granted in our own lives.
Marist Youth Ministry | Heidelberg West Bread Run (HWBR)
http://www.exoduscommunity.org.au/
The Bread Team is a group consisting of Marist-Sion College students, Young Marists (post-school) and Exodus volunteers. Bread Run has been running in West Heidelberg for over 15 years. Each week the team collects donated bread from a local bakery and distributes it to families and individuals, including those housebound, sick or elderly. This suburban experience allows our students to roll up their sleeves and engage in volunteer work with Br Harry Prout, Br Doug Walsh and Br Barry Lamb from the West Heidelberg Marist community. This is an important opportunity for our students to learn firsthand about the Marist Charism and the inspiring efforts of Marist Brothers, Lay Marists and post-school Marists working in solidarity to serve the local community.
Australian Red Cross | Traralgon Lifeblood
https://www.donateblood.com.au/
You can be certain that when you give blood, you are making a difference to someone’s life. Blood is vital to life and, for many people, blood donors are their lifeline. Currently, 1 in 30 Australians give blood, but 1 in 3 Australians will need blood in their lifetime. Giving blood is a relatively simple and very rewarding experience. Most people can give blood and, as a College, we are facilitating the possibility for our Year 12 students who are 18 years old on the day of their donation to commence an ongoing commitment to community service by donating blood in Year 12 and for many years to come.