Laois teams up to give some Christmas Hope

The annual Laois Team Hope-Laois Christmas Shoebox Appeal is set to put smiles on the faces of over 5,700 vulnerable children this festive season.

The record amount of shoeboxes, now on route in a 40 foot trailer, is the result of huge countywide community effort by volunteers, primary and secondary schools and several businesses.

Team Hope is an Irish Christian international development organisation working to help children affected by poverty in Africa and in Eastern Europe. The organisation helps children all year round through a variety of sustainable projects and is best known for its Christmas Shoebox Appeal.

This year children aged between two and 14 in The Ukraine will benefit following its most successful year to date in Laois.

Dorothy McDowell is a coordinator.

“We are delighted to be able to help so many children living in poverty and so many who are living in orphanages and care centres in The Ukraine. We have a fantastic team of volunteers who have been working hard since early October.

“We are grateful to the dozens of students from the CBS and Scoil Chriost Ri in Portlaoise who did amazing work with us getting the 5,732 shoeboxes prepared and ready for shipping. The National Learning Network, Irish Country Women, Portlaoise Credit Union and the Laois Macra also played huge rolls this year as did the schoolchildren, parents and teachers. We also wish to thank John Mulhall for the use of the old cinema on Bull Lane.” she said.

There was great excitement at the collection depot in Portlaoise when the truck arrived at 10pm to be loaded with over 700 cartons. Each contained eight shoeboxes marked for a boy or a girl with three age groups of two to four, five to nine and 10 to 14.

Mary Siney is with the group for 14 years and is a coordinator.

“Each shoebox contains what we call the four Ws. These are something to wash with, something to wear, something to write with and a wow present which is usually something that the children put into the shoebox which they would like to receive themselves.

“Every shoebox contains a cuddly toy or a dolly. Some of the cuddly toys are knitted by an active retirement group in Mountrath. They did over 300 for us this year. We were given over 1,000 cuddly toys and dolls which were collected for us throughout the year by Geraldine Palmer and her staff in the SVP shop in Abbeyleix. Each of the cuddly toys are washed, dried and fluffed up and all of the dolls are thoroughly cleaned. My clothes line was packed over and over again for the past few weeks but I love it. It’s all about putting smiles on the childrens faces and the great excitement they get when they receive a shoebox full of things that are theirs to keep.” she said.

There was an air of sadness and several emotional moments from the team members remembering one of their backbone volunteers Kevin Culleton, who lived in Portlaoise, who passed away suddenly while holidaying in Lanzarote in October this year.

Orla Doyle spoke bravely about her uncle Kevin, who was a retired prison officer and deeply rooted in many aspects of the community.

Kevin had been involved with Team Hope Laois for 11 years said.

“Everybody loved Kevin. He would have been so proud to see this. He loved his involvement with Team Hope each year and he did everything.

“ He did great work in getting the children involved in the Shoebox appeal from the schools. He is gone to receive his eternal rewards,” she said.

Many of the volunteers echoed her words last Thursday in Portlaoise.