19 January 2018
Small hands make a big difference
Posted in Chaplaincy / School life
What difference can one little girl make in a world full of problems?
This question led Chappy Rosalie to start ‘Petite Sisterhood’ – a group purposed to inspire girls in Prep and Year 1 at Narangba Valley State School.
“It all started around the idea that just because you’re little, doesn’t mean you can’t make the world a better place,” Rosalie recalls.
Rosalie runs the program one lunchtime per week, where the girls do different activities to spread kindness around the school and the wider community. This has included making bookmarks, encouragement notes for teachers, a thank you banner for the school cleaners and a ‘box of sunshine’ for the principal.
“One of the more practical activities is when the girls help make 50 homeless lunch packs, which I take and deliver to a local community action centre,” Rosalie says.
“As the girls pack the bags, I talk to them about what it feels like to be hungry, and how there are other girls and boys in our community who don’t always have a place to live or food in their lunchboxes.”
At the first ‘Petite Sisterhood’, Rosalie talked about 5 cent coins not being able to do much on their own, but could make a big impact when brought together.
“I took along a big tin, and told the girls they could bring in 5 cent coins if they wanted to,” Rosalie recalls.
“Some of the girls hopped up on stage at junior and senior assemblies to ask the parents and other students to join them in collecting 5 cent coins.”
Chappy Rosalie set a date for all students to bring their coins in. After going around to every classroom to collect, the girls raised $376.05 in 5 cent coins. The money was then donated to the ‘Love your Sister” cancer awareness campaign.
“Like Mother Teresa said, ‘Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love’.
“That is the purpose of ‘Petite Sisterhood’ – to teach girls how to do small things with great love, in their school, in their families, in their community and in their world.”
Through your faithful support chaplains like Rosalie are helping to show the next generation how they can make the world a better place through small acts of kindness.
Visit suqld.org.au/donate to support chaplains like Rosalie.
