This year Charities has been really focused on giving back to the Christchurch community following the March 15 terror attack.

It is for this reason that we decided to choose St John as a school charity, to which we were able to give a large donation from CGHS. The Charities Committee sold Heart of Gold badges and had a very successful mufti day to raise as much money as we could for this fantastic cause. Following the terror event, the school also held a mufti day that raised thousands of dollars for the Christchurch Muslim community. This was the most meaningful thing we did this year and we are so grateful to have had the opportunity to contribute to the healing of our community.

Easter time was also a busy time for Charities, organising a mufti day to raise money for Cholomey and Brackenridge. It was really great to be able to have representatives from both charities attend our assembly so that we could present them with a basket of Easter eggs and cheques. A really amazing part of our role this year has been to meet people who dedicate their lives to giving back to others, something that has certainly inspired us both. Our Charities Committee, made up of year 12 and 13 students, has also inspired us by their dedication to volunteering their time, either through helping us to fundraise by selling ribbons or badges, making posters and volunteering their time to help out the City Mission during the school holidays. As well as this, an awesome effort was made by the House Prefects to hold a can drive for the Christchurch City Mission food bank. Charities are all about collaboration and it has been truly fantastic to see the enthusiasm to give back within our school. The service culture at Girls' High is something that everyone can be proud of and we are so excited to see how it continues to grow next year!

Heart Kids NZ was another charity that we decided to dedicate a mufti day and a bake sale to this year. In Term 1 our bake sale sold out within a number of minutes, allowing us to make a sizable donation to another charity that was grateful for our support. 

It was also important for us to spread our attention over smaller charities that also are in need of donations. For example, the Charities Committee sold ribbons around the school to raise money for Rainbow Youth NZ, allowing us to donate to a charity that provides support for members of New Zealand’s rainbow community.

To finish the year we are also going to organise a giving tree for Christmas donations of presents for Christchurch children who are not in a position to receive presents at Christmas time. It would be lovely to see everyone get involved and give what they are able to give, as we are in a very privileged position to live the lives we lead at this school. As well as this the Year 9 classes are finishing up with their fundraising projects, with many successful fundraisers already having taken place earlier in the year. 

Overall we would like to thank everyone who has given us their spare change or shown up to a mufti day this year, as our role as Charities Prefects have really been supported by students choosing to give back.