Students of St Leonard’s College are running Melbourne to help the hungry

Students from Cullen House, St Leonard’s College are getting ready to Run Melbourne to raise vital funds for Victorians in need.

In 2018, St Leonard’s College called upon its six Houses (Allen, Cullen, Forster, McMeekin, Munro, Newman) to develop and contribute to a school-wide social action plan, encouraging students to work together for the good of others.

Each House was asked to select an issue affecting the well-being of youth on a local, national and global scale, along with an affiliated organisation that actively contributes to the alleviation of the chosen cause.

Choosing hunger as their social action theme, the students of Cullen House reached out to Foodbank Victoria in a bid to raise funds for hungry Victorian youth and their families. Students from Prep, all the way through to Year 12, have supported Foodbank by holding food drives, and will join Team Foodbank for Run Melbourne on Sunday 28 July, 2019 – raising funds via their Everyday Hero Fundraising page.

We caught up with Pip and Cooper, both Year 12 students of Cullen House, to learn more about why they think it is important to support youth-related causes, and what they have planned in the lead up to the big event.

Is this the first year you have participated in Run Melbourne? 

Pip: This is the first year St Leonard’s Cullen House has created a team for the event and we are looking forward to participating, whilst raising funds in support of Foodbank’s efforts to address Victoria’s food insecurity.

Cooper: Yes, it is my first time. I would say I’m more nervous than excited. I am looking forward to crossing the finish line (assuming I make it!). It would be a cool achievement for myself, and it makes me happy that I’m able to take this opportunity to hopefully make a small difference to someone’s life.

With so many running events taking place in Melbourne each year, why the decision to take part in Run Melbourne?

Pip: After discovering that Foodbank was involved with Run Melbourne, we jumped on the opportunity as it seemed an exciting and challenging event in which students were able to choose varied distances in relation to their fitness levels. On top of various other fundraising activities through which Cullen supports Foodbank, we saw Run Melbourne as a good opportunity to actively engage with this important issue.

What inspired you to support Foodbank Victoria?

Pip: Through the St Leonard’s food initiative, Lennie’s Van, which facilitates community hot breakfast services for members of our local community considered food vulnerable or in need. Cullen students gained an insight into this important issue that is often overlooked. Shortly after researching Foodbank, Cullen students and staff agreed upon this wide spread food relief organisation to extend our contribution to those who are food insecure in the wider community.

Do you have a fundraising goal you are working towards? 

Pip: Cullen House aims to fundraise a minimum of $700 to donate to Foodbank Victoria. A month prior to the event we are over halfway to completing this goal. For every dollar donated, Foodbank provides two meals to hungry Australians. With this in mind our fundraising goal would fill the tummies of food insecure Australians 1400 times. This goal gives incentive to our runners to try their hardest throughout the event, keeping in mind this outstanding contribution.

How will you be training in the lead up to the event?

Pip: Our team of enthusiastic runners will continue being a part of our early morning Running Club sessions held before school twice a week as well as go on individual runs throughout the holidays and on weekends. Student training is in line with the Cullen team’s aims; to raise as many funds as possible in support of a great cause and also to perform some new PBs!

Why do you think it is important for students to support charitable organisations like Foodbank?

Cooper: It’s important for students to be more selfless and be willing in future to help others, ultimately bringing communities and the world together in the future.

Why do you think it is important for students to take part in events like Run Melbourne?

Cooper: I believe it’s important to engage and help the community around you. I watched a video that said that most older people regret the things they didn’t do, rather than the things they did in life, so I think we should take every opportunity we are given. Completing the run would be a great achievement to look back on in the future, and it would also feel nice to know that you helped someone else in the process. I would definitely recommend people debating whether to do it or not to at least try, and also challenge yourself, as there’s no shame in doing it slow.

Lennie’s Van photos courtesy of St Leonard’s College YouTube Channel – Lennie’s Van Video, 2018. Click here to view the full video.

Refugee Week: sharing Lena’s story

Refugee Week is an opportunity for the whole nation to celebrate the contribution refugees make to our society, and remembering and honouring the often perilous journey that refugees have taken to reach Australia – just like Lena Heto, former refugee and Foodbank volunteer.

Lena didn’t have the easiest start to life. But through the years, she has used art to help her heal and now harnesses her creativity to help others in need.

Born in Iraq in the late 1980s, Lena and her parents fled her war-torn homeland when she was just 3 years of age. She vividly remembers the night they crossed the border, as bombs shook the ground and her family’s life was reduced to a single suitcase.

After spending 5 years in Syria as refugees, it wasn’t until her parents gave birth to her younger sister that they were granted asylum in Australia.

When she arrived in Australia at age 8, Lena drew and painted to not only deal with the traumatic change but to help her communicate with her fellow students – as her English was very limited.

“Drawing helped me learn English. When I was communicating with kids at school, I would draw pictures and they would tell me the English word for the drawing which was so helpful.”

Lena reflects that she always turned to art to help her deal with her surroundings, often filling up her exercise books with drawings and illustrations.

“I started drawing at a really young age. It was in math’s class I used to draw intricate borders on every page of my exercise books.”

Almost 20 years later, Lena and her family are thriving. She works in a marketing role with a global organisation and now uses her art to give back to the communities that once helped her family when they couldn’t afford to put food on the table.

It’s been a journey and very character building. It teaches you a lot especially as a child when you thought living in a refugee camp was the norm and then you come to Australia and you see that you have freedom, you have safety and independence and equal rights.

She has previously hand illustrated cards and sold them at markets to raise funds for Foodbank and currently volunteers her time creating art work to help celebrate the efforts of other Foodbank volunteers.

Foodbank currently works with over 420 charity partners across the state, with 96 of these partners directly assisting refugee and migrant communities.

Click here to read more stories about some of the charity organisations and people we work with.