Sharing The Gift of Love
Dominican College Charity Update December 2024
Sponsored Walk Update
Over the past twenty – one years we in Dominican College, Portstewart have raised in excess of £195,000 for our sponsored charities as a consequence of our Beach Walk.
Our challenge in 2024 was to maintain this proud tradition and that every member of our Dominican community does their best to raise as much money as we can to help those in need within our community and beyond our school walls.
Thanks to the amazing efforts of all our pupils, we have currently raised in the region of £7000 for this year’s designated charities and will invite a representative from each charity to the school over the coming months to present them with money raised by our pupils as part of their 2024 Dominican Beach Walk.
This year we have identified four key charities that we wish to help:
We are delighted to announce that the following four charities have been chosen as our official Dominican charities for the 2024-25 school year:
Break The Silence- Zachary Geddis
We are delighted this year to support this local charity working to support mental health and prevent suicide in local people. Zachary was a past pupil of Dominican College and his sister Yasmin, also a past pupil of the school expressed her great delight and pride that we have chosen this as one of our designated charities this year. Yasmin looks forward to returning to Dominican in the near future to share with us the vital work of the Break the Silence foundation.
Medical Detection Dogs
This charity trains dogs to support people with life-threatening health conditions, saving their lives on a daily basis and helping the NHS by keeping them out of hospital. Jade, the daughter of our VP Mrs Heaney, has received help from this charity very recently in the form of Jules, her medical detection dog who has enabled her to continue her studies at University in Surrey. Jade and Jules are delighted and send their heartfelt thanks for the nomination. Jade hopes to visit the school at Christmas with Jules to show our pupils just how much a difference their efforts can make. Medical Detection Dogs will be so grateful for the fund raising and it will be put to very good use.
https://www.medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/
Bubble Foundation
https://www.bubblefoundation.org.uk/
This is a national charity which helps save the lives of babies born with no immune system- Oscar, a current Year 10 pupil owes his life to this charity. Oscar took part in the Transplant Games this summer and we are delighted to be able to support this vital charity for the first time. Oscar’s mum Olivia has told us just how important the work of The Bubble Foundation is and we are really pleased that it is one of our official charities for the 2024
Community Rescue Service
https://www.communityrescue.org/
This is a locally based charity which deals with Lowland rescue responding annually to more than 450 emergency incidents. More than 300 volunteers are involved with this charity- many of them with strong links to Dominican College.
Sean McCarry from CRS told us, “I am delighted to see my local school support this local charity which provides such a vital service both in our community and to the rest of NI. I am really proud to consider myself a Dominican parent- my son Christopher was very happy in the school and I am now an equally proud Dominican grandparent as my son Kevin’s daughter Cliodhna is now a year 9 pupil. I look forward to meeting the pupils and staff of DCP to let them know just how valuable their fundraising efforts will be. Good luck on your beach walk on October 3rd.”
Dominican College Myanmar.
In 2018, as a way of recognising the 50th anniversary of boys joining our school community in 1968, it was decided to support a Dominican School in Myanmar as part of our school charity work over the past Six years. We are delighted to continue to be able to help our sister school at this turbulent time.
We will be asking those attending our Annual Carol Service to make a contribution to support our sister school in Myanmar.
The Annual Dominican College Carol Service will be on Monday 16th December at 7.30 PM in Star of the Sea Church. A livestream link will be available on social media to allow those unable to attend to feel connected to the school on this special night.
Our 2024 Christmas “Gifts of Love” Appeal
Normally every Christmas, each form class in the whole school aims to help those less fortunate within and beyond our local community. This has become a very important Dominican tradition over the years and we encourage all pupils to do all they can to help those other than ourselves within and beyond our local community.
Each form class in the school has given the challenge to raise as much money as they possibly can. Pupils will be encouraged to believe that small individual actions and sacrifices can collectively make a massive impact.
Key Stage 3 Fundraising
For Key Stage 3 pupils (Year 8 – 10), our 2024 focus is on raising money for Trocaire’s ‘Gifts of Love’ and helping those beyond our school community.
Then, with their money, the form class with the guidance of their form teacher, will be able to choose which of the ‘gifts of love’ they would like to purchase as a class. Choices this year will include chicks, goats, clean water supply, school lunches and school kits.
This Year the Key Stage Three total was £500 allowing the school to purchase the following gifts:
| Product | Quantity | Price |
| Soap | 2 | £10.00 |
| Seeds and Tools | 2 | £20.00 |
| Chicks | 6 | £60.00 |
| Menstrual Dignity | 7 | £70.00 |
| Emergency Water | 4 | £80.00 |
| Solar Lamp | 2 | £30.00 |
| School Lunches | 1 | £20.00 |
| School Kit | 2 | £40.00 |
| Goats | 2 | £80.00 |
| Water Systems | 1 | £90.00 |
| Subtotal: | £500.00 | |
Key Stage 4 Fundraising
Our Year 11 and 12 pupils have been collecting for those in need within our local community. By each making a small contribution, pupils will ensure that we can provide vouchers for our local St Vincent De Paul Society to help families who are in real need within our local community.
Each form class will be asked to bring in a minimum of £1 donation that would be great and they can always donate more if possible. SVP vouchers will be bought on the pupils’ behalf and donated to SVP for local families who are in need this Christmas.
AS and A2 Fundraising
Our Year 13 and 14 pupils will focus on bringing the gifts of love to the elderly in our local community. Each pupil will help to contribute to food and toiletry hampers which will soon be distributed to our local Care Home, Madelayne Court on Friday 13th December 2024. Our seniors will also be asked to contribute £1.00 each to our SVP appeal.
Dominican Staff will also contribute by donating small gifts or toiletries and by adding to the money raised earlier this year for Trocaire as part of the “gifts of love” appeal.
Christmas Carol Service 2024
We are delighted to be able to welcome our local community and our local Parish to our annual Carol Service at 7.30 PM on Monday 16th December. Our pupils will attend their annual Carol Service on the morning of Tuesday 17th December.
Christmas Jumper Day
On Thursday 19th December we will raise additional money for charity in the form of a Christmas jumper day. Pupils are asked to contribute £1.00 on the day. The same day will see us invite local primary school children to our school for a Christmas quiz.
Friday 20th December will be a non-uniform day (no charge) and school will end at 12.00 noon with buses arranged for 12.10. Pupils return to school on Monday 6th January 2025- this will be a week 2.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish all our pupils, parents and Dominican families a very Happy Christmas.
