At 11:15 a.m. on Friday, December 11, 2015, it was organized chaos as the grade 12 Marymount Academy students scurried around getting the last minute preparations done for the annual Marymount-Sudbury-Action Centre for Youth (S.A.C.Y.) Christmas luncheon. For the past twenty-six years, Marymount teacher – now retired – Matthew Wiecha, has organized this gathering which supports the clients of S.A.C.Y. – many who are homeless and dealing with addiction and mental health issues. For the last few weeks, the grade twelve students at the school set up a plan of action to ensure that nothing was forgotten, wanting to ensure that the entire meal was perfect for all that attended the lunch. The group anticipated between 250-300 clients coming out to enjoy the feast. “The need is greater and greater each year,” explained Wiecha. “For many this is the only Christmas meal they will have, and we want to ensure that they are well fed and happy. The Marymount students are outstanding – this year having the biggest group ever get involved in the luncheon. It really is something special for all who take part as our students exemplify the true meaning of Christmas – giving – and the clients recognize that they are part of a community that truly cares about their well-being.”
Month: December 2015
She Shoots She Scores – MMA Regals Wrap Up Another Successful Goals for Girls Tournament
For the past several years, Marymount Academy has held its annual Goals for Girls Ball Hockey Tournament. This tournament is organized by the school’s Girls’ Athletic Association (GAA) and involves student and teacher floor hockey teams playing ball hockey round robin style with themed teams, creative uniforms and spirit awards. The Goals for Girls campaign is held to encourage young women to be physically active and to help them recognize and become involved in the many activities and opportunities available in their school and community. As well, this tournament is also a fundraiser in which monies raised are used to sponsor young women who cannot financially afford to play sports, and to purchase fitness equipment. This year, in addition to the school fundraising, a portion of the funds raised will go towards the Adaptive Canuck ALS Foundation. Marymount worked with retired teacher Michel Leroux, who was diagnosed with ALS a month after he retired from teaching, as well as a gentleman by the name of Jeff Perreault (who was also diagnosed with ALS about a year ago and is only in his mid-30’s). Together, they are trying to raise enough funds to help provide advanced stem cell treatments for all PALS (People Living with ALS), and the students and staff at MMA felt that this would be a great organization to also support with its Goals for Girls fundraiser. Alongside the one day ball hockey tournament, students also had the opportunity to soak their teachers with a bucket/dunk tank in the school. All teams that signed up to play paid an entrance fee, and that fee allowed each team member to attempt to hit a target that dumped ice-cold water on the teachers. As well, any student could pay five dollars for the opportunity to soak their teachers. Needless to say, the teachers who signed up were cold and wet for a big portion of the day as the final monies raised were over $3200.00 with a portion going to the Adaptive Canucks Foundation, as well as to support students in need. Mia Tullio, Co-President of the G.A.A. was happy that today was about the school and the community. “As Regals we are taught the importance of giving back to those who need support, both close to us, as well as in our community,” Tullio explained. “The culture of Marymount is very unique in that we really try to better ourselves, by helping others. Through this Goals for Girls event, we are able to engage in physical activity in a positive and spirited environment, but more importantly we are able to provide assistance to our fellow students who may need it, and are also supporting an organization that supports families, friends and neighbours right in our own community!”
Marymount Regals Step Up Their Annual Food Drive Challenge
One often hears about world hunger, but the reality is that hunger is also in our own community – especially in December and January. Every year, Marymount Academy holds an annual Christmas food drive to help stock the shelves of the Sudbury Food Bank in preparation for the holiday season. The school pairs up with “Kids Helping Kids”, which was founded by Edgar Burton and is the biggest food drive in Sudbury. One quarter to one third of the food received at the Sudbury Food Bank annually is collected from the Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive. The founder, Mr. Burton, unfortunately is no longer with us, however his legacy and impact still lives on, especially in our Marymount community. This campaign has a special place in the Regals’ hearts as his wife, Sharon Burton, works in our school cafeteria. Her continuous kindness and generosity on a day-to-day basis has inspired many girls to give back to our community through this event.
Typically, the Marymount Catholic Charities Council (MC3) sets a goal of 5000 cans, but this year we decided to step it up. We set a goal of 10,000 cans and with a combination of non-perishable food and monetary donations, the Regals raised a total of 12,613 cans. This is the largest number of cans collected at Marymount since 2012. Lise Callahan, the teacher in charge of the drive was thrilled with the school’s response to the challenge. “We are incredibly proud of our Regals and know that their efforts in helping to alleviate food insecurity will impact many individuals throughout Greater Sudbury this Christmas season. What has had the most value and impact on our school has been the exposure that we have been able to bring around the topic of local hunger.”