QUEENSLAND’S Caritas regional co-ordinator was left “speechless and emotional” recently when schools in some of the towns worst affected by floods earlier this year made some of the largest donations to the annual Project Compassion appeal.
Caritas Australia regional co-ordinator for community engagement in Queensland Patricia Ryan said donations from Brisbane archdiocese and Cairns diocese had already surpassed money raised in 2010 and “our other three dioceses have also continued to be generous beyond what would be considered imaginable under the circumstances of 2011”.
“When a substantial cheque arrived from Gatton’s Catholic school, I was unable to believe it,” she said.
“But when this was followed by cheques from other schools whose communities were affected by the disasters of 2011, including Laidley, Rosewood, Goodna, the schools of Ipswich, Indooroopilly, New Farm and many others, I was left speechless and emotional.
“Alongside these donations were many from parishes where community members lost all, including Corinda-Graceville, Goodna, and Ipswich area parishes.
“These schools continued to give in amounts equal to other years.
“The final gift of goodness arrived last Wednesday when the mail containing a most generous cheque arrived from the Lockyer Valley (and) Rosewood parish(es).
“This left me completely gobsmacked.”
Ms Ryan said given Queensland’s flood and cyclone disasters earlier this year it had seemed logical to downgrade likely Queensland donations to Project Compassion.
“The projected drop in donations from Queensland was 50 per cent,” she said.
“I’ve now had the pleasing task of phoning Caritas’ head office to say donations will only be down 10 per cent or less on 2010.
“Homes, businesses and lives were lost, destroyed and changed forever but the spirit of giving that is part of the heart and soul of Queenslanders has clearly continued beyond these disasters.”
Last year was Caritas Australia’s most successful Project Compassion ever, raising more than $9,301,790.
The amount of money raised by this year’s Project Compassion appeal was expected to be released in the coming week.
