Bella Peacocke (right) and year 13 student Chelsey Cook celebrate as money rolls in to help students at Wairoa College.
Cambridge High School families have dug deep to support students of Wairoa College in Hawke’s Bay affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and raised more than $3000 from a mufti day.
“Everyone’s really wanting to get behind it – people have been bringing so much more money than what they usually would for non-uniform days for any other cause,” said head girl Bella Peacocke, who worked with the school’s senior leadership team and other senior students to organise the fundraiser.
“I think it’s that mentality of kids that want to help other kids’ education, their learning.”
About $3000 was raised through cash donations alone and online donations are still being counted.
Bella, who has family living in Hawke’s Bay, said Wairoa College was chosen because it was an area teacher Blair Ludlam had often stopped in as a child while travelling to Gisborne to surf.
“He thought this school is one of the isolated areas and maybe it hasn’t had as much publicity as other places… so he reached out to their school principal and asked what we could do to help them,” she said.
“I think lots of those school students have lost most things, so the money will go towards things like uniforms, computers, books, even just lunch money and things like that, that they need.”
Ludlam said Cambridge High’s senior school leaders were “instantly on board” to support Wairoa College’s request for financial help.
