SAVE THE CHILDREN COMMITTEE

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25306, 4 October 1947, Page 2

SAVE THE CHILDREN COMMITTEE

SPONSORSHIP SCHEME EXTENDING

Permission haj been received to transmit £N.Z.400 (£320 sterling) to London for the Save the Children fund. The sum of £l5O has already been forwarded and a further £250 will be sent next week, sufficient in all to sponsor 30 children. This was reported at a meeting of the Christchurch Save the Children committee held in the Mayoress’s room, City Council Chambers, yesterday afternoon the chairman (Miss M. G. Havelaar) presided, and the Mayoress (Mrs F. Hardy Cookson) was present. Miss Havelaar said the scheme of sponsoring children in Britain and Europe was receiving strong support in Canterbury. She explained that to sponsor a child it was necessary for an individual or an association to pay £l3 10s towards the support of the child and then to write to it and send it gifts occasionally. Sponsors could specify whether the child should be a boy or a girl, what age and what nationality. They would then receive full particulars about the child allotted them and probably a photograph. Among organisations that had shown great interest in the scheme, Miss Havelaar added, were the Women’s Division of Federated Farmers and Women’s Institutes, the Ohoka and Halswel! branches of the Women’s Division, and the Hawarden and Culverden Women’s Institutes being-, among the group willing to accept sponsorship. Among schools who had responded were Selwyn House, to which had been allotted a little French girl aged 12 years, and the Christchurch Girls’ High School which was sponsoring five—the staff being responsible for one and the pupils for four. The executive council of Old Girls’ Associations was sponsoring one child and sending a donation for general relief, and the Christchurch, branch of the Timaru Girls High School Old Girls’ Association was also sponsoring one child. One of the most interesting cases sponsorship reported was that of the Christchurch branch of the League for the Hard of Hearing. The branch has asked to have a deaf child alJ° tted J° lt ' The Women’s Section of the Returned Services’ Association has offered to sponsor one child and help has been forthcoming from St Luke’s parish through Miss Treeguard. The Young Contingent of the Victoria League, which was among the first to offer help and which has u odcrtaken the sponsorship of three children, reported that it had been assigned a French lad of 14. Pierre Carlier, and was sending parcels of food and clothing to reach him for Christmas.

Should the mannequin parade to be held next week anc the ball to be held m November in aid of their funds be successful, the Young Contingent will undertake further sponsorsh.p.

The Mayoress announced that the Stor/uook Ball held last month had resulted in a profit of about £6O. and that the committee was giving the proceeds to the Save the Children fund. As clothes were urgently needed in Europe before mid-winter. Mrs Ashley Dean undertook to give advice and help to anyone willing to send parcels of clothing for immediate distribution.