Brackenfield pupil Evie Paizis aged 7 has been awarded a very special Heroes Award for fundraising for the Red Cross Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa.
In July of last year Evie decided she wanted to buy Christmas presents for the patients at the hospital. Some of the patients live in extreme poverty and have never received a gift. Evie raised a fabulous total of £210 by running a cup cake stall at Brackenfield, a lemonade stand and selling her old toys at a boot fair.
Evie then went to Cape Town with her family and purchased three huge trolley loads of toys, games and art supplies.
She then took these presents to the hospital in large red sacks. At the hospital she was greeted by David Stephens, the Executive Director of the “Friends Of The Children’s Hospital Association” which is a charity that supports the children and their families providing hot meals, clothing, transport, play therapy and food parcels.
Evie was awarded her special award by David Stephens for her “Exceptional fundraising efforts”. She then had the opportunity to hand out the gifts, helping the children open the gifts and even teaching one girl how to loom band!
Executive Director, David Stephens wrote to Evie to thank her for her generosity:
Thank you for making the children’s Christmas so special. The children at this hospital are very ill and many are lonely and scared. By thinking of them you and showing them such kindness, shows us that you are a caring and loving person. We need people like you. Thank you for your wonderful gift.
Pat Sowa, Head Teacher of Brackenfield School in Harrogate was delighted to follow Evie’s charity fundraising:
Charity fundraising is so important to us here at Brackenfield and Evie’s fundraising for such a worthwhile charity has really touched everyone here at school. I warmly congratulate her for helping so many children in such an enterprising way at such a young age. She thoroughly deserves this special Hero’s Award.
More information on the charity can be found at www.friendsotthechildrenshospital.org
