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Christmas Shoebox Appeal in the Royal!

Christmas came early to the Royal School Cavan as pupils collected and filled shoeboxes for the Team
Hope Christmas Shoebox appeal. In October Miss Poyntz and Mr Robertson alerted the 1st, 2nd and TY
pupils to the charity and the concept behind the appeal, and by the closing date in mid-November the
students has collected over 60 shoeboxes wrapped in Christmas paper and filled with treats to be sent
off to children to make them happy at Christmas. Some of this work was done at home by day pupils and
some was done in the evenings by the 1st & 2nd year boarding pupils.
This year the students watched a DVD produced by Team Hope showing the difference the small gesture
of a Christmas gift from far away can make. For a lot of these children life is bleak, with little to look
forward to – just hoping to have some food on the table today. It is important in such circumstances
that these children feel like someone somewhere in the world cares for them and has thought of their
happiness at Christmas.

No, a shoebox won’t change everything, but it will do far more than you could ever imagine, by bringing
Christmas to children who have never experienced anything like it before! And if a local leader requests
it, as an optional extra, Team Hope Ireland also give a Christmas card – explaining where their box came
from, about Ireland and the significance of the Christmas message.
Over the last fourteen years, Team Hope Ireland has sent an Irish Christmas shoebox gift to more than
2,800,000 children in twenty one countries. This is a really wonderful charity and well done to all the
pupils of the Royal School who have supported it so generously.

The Royal Times 2016-2017 71