Kids on the coast

These local kids don’t just sit around or play handball in their lunch-break!

With families who encourage them to think of others and help out wherever they can, Flynn (12) and his friends Harrison (Harri, 11) and Angus (12) are three Sunshine Coast kids who decided, off their own bat, to raise funds for two worthwhile charities a few months ago.

Flynn got the ball rolling with his passion for the environment and reducing waste, turning up to school one day with some recycled pencils, rubbers and other recycled school items and wanting to raise funds for Watoto (www.watoto.com) which helps kids in Uganda. He’d also found out about You Can (www.youcan.org.au), who collect old mobile phones to raise money for cancer centres for teenagers.

His mates Angus and Harri offered to get involved, and soon all three were busy painting rocks for paperweights, and asking other kids to help out by making items or donating their old toys and mobile phones to the cause.

The three boys had decided to sell their wares at a stall to be set up during lunch and play times, but first they had to get the nod from various heads of school.

“The hardest part was getting permission,” says Flynn.

Harri agrees that plucking up the courage to go the principal’s office to pitch their idea was tough – but he also says painting the rocks was labour-intensive!

And after all that, the three boys had to organise the advertising, set up and work on the stalls during their breaks, and pack up at the end of each session every day during the fundraising period. Angus says getting everyone to line up properly was another challenging task…

But it was all worth it, say each of the boys.

“The best part was counting up the money at the end and knowing it was going to good causes,” says Flynn.

Altogether the three friends raised over $730, a fantastic result. The funds were divided between You Can (who also got the phones) and the Watoto Project, providing clean water, food and building houses for orphans in Uganda.

Harri reckons the fun part was “thinking how much this will help some kids out in the world who aren’t as fortunate as us. Immanuel [the boys all attend Immanuel Lutheran College] is a school that teaches Christian values and encourages all students to think of others – I think this was part of why we did it too.”

Flynn’s mum confirms that the Watoto Project was linked to the school’s involvement with sponsoring children through Project Compassion.

Although their mums say they’re “just normal kids”, the boys have been involved in raising money to help others before. For instance, Flynn’s parents encourage him to make an annual fundraising effort for a charity of his choice, such as when he raised $850 for the Royal Children’s Hospital doing Fit-For-Fun. Harri, whose mum says he “loves a project” organised his own fundraising concert in Year 3 to help drought-stricken farmers (after visiting his grandparents and seeing the devastation first-hand). With his father and brother he’s also part of the Disabled Surfing volunteer group, which gives people with disabilities a chance to enjoy riding the waves.

Flynn’s mum says he’ll be undertaking another fundraising venture this year, but the details are yet to be worked out. Angus is keen to take part in this year’s Project Compassion bake sale. Meanwhile Harri says helping people is just “his way” and he wants to be paramedic when he’s older.

Oh, and just in case the boys’ teachers are reading this: “Maths helped a lot with counting all the money,” says Harri.

Congratulations to Flynn, Angus, and Harrison, the stars of our first ever Encouraging Kids section! (They were nominated by another parent from the same school who’d heard about their efforts.)

Do you know a local kid who’s done something amazing, interesting, inspiring or gone out of their way to make a difference? We’re looking for Kids on the Coast who’ve made an impression with their efforts, achievements, and attitudes.

Let us know who you’d like to nominate, and why. Include their parent or guardian’s contact details, or how we can get in touch with them, and don’t forget your name too. Just send an email with the subject line “Encouraging Kids Nomination” to: editorial@kidsonthecoast.com.au

You could be reading all about it in the next issue of Kids on the Coast!