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St Vincents School gets BigChess set !
(November 27, 2011)We have been fortunate to be able to assist St Vincents School for the Deaf to get two Bigchess sets. It was a fantastic experience for us and the students enjoyed helping unload and were playing within minutes of us unloading. You can find out more about St Vincents and the great work they do by visiting their website -> www.stvincentschool.org.za.
On Friday the 25th of November I took Mangweza with me to deliver two chess sets to St Vincent School for the Deaf, we had arranged that they would buy one set and we would donate a set, most of the children come from underprivileged families and some of they can't even afford food so the school feeds them with donations from the public and any help is gratefully received.
I arrived at the school to find the Headmistress and Leanne who is the fundraising organizer already waiting for me they looked so excited. They were smiling from ear to ear.
I drove the car down a ramp and turned left into the children's playing area, they were on morning break and knew that I was arriving with the sets, before we could even start taking the straps off we had helpers you would of thought it was Christmas day, we carried the sets around the corner to where they had painted white squares on the black playing area, before I knew it I had about ten children and some teachers unpacking and putting the pieces on the board, they couldn't unpack fast enough.
I have delivered several sets to schools and never had such a heartwarming reaction from the children and teachers, they were so grateful to us it made my heart jump. I spent a while just watching we had six or so children on each side of the board the younger ones couldn't stop picking up the pieces and just holding them. I eventually left, it felt like I was intruding in a very special moment. I was then taken to the young babies two years and up, lots of them have a very sad tale to tell and have not had a great start to life, but the teachers you can tell love them very much and they all seemed so happy and content
Going to the School was an experience that is hard to explain and my story on paper does the experience very little justice, but has changed me in a way even though I am not sure how yet, it makes me realize that my life is not so bad, so when I feel like eating worms I will think of those smiling faces and of the small bit we did that made lots of children happy and they don't let life get them down.
Marie.
