Maple Ridge students raise more than $800 for Ukraine

Students at a Maple Ridge school raised hundreds of dollars to help people in the Ukraine.

A non-uniform day at St. Patrick’s School raised $887.80 for the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, CNEWA, founded in 1926 by Pope Pius XI that is dedicated to helping people throughout Northeast Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and India. It is currently under the guidance of Pope Francis.

School principal Maria Fonseca is proud of her students.

“We’re only a small school. There is only 243 students. So it was lovely to see the community come together for that,” she said.

The children, said Fonseca, had been talking about the situation in Ukraine and praying about it since Russia invaded the country on February 24.

“Then we had our priest had mentioned it at mass so the kids really wanted to do something for it,” she said.

Non-uniform days are held once a month at the school to raise money for different causes including: The Door Is Open, a drop-in ministry that provides food, clothing, counselling, shelter services and referrals, to those in need on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside; and Holy Childhood Association, founded in France in 1843 to encourage children to help children.

This was the largest non-uniform fundraiser to date this year, said Fonseca.

Grade 2 students also created artwork incorporating sunflowers and the flag of Ukraine.

As of March 18, CNEWA Canada reported that they had raised more than $1.16 million for Ukraine.

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