A Christmas Charity Passion Project

My name is Mia Hynes and I’m in Year 10. I like Emmanuel College as we have so many amazing teachers as well as different opportunities and subjects.

Last year, I completed the 9@RICE program, which was a great experience. The different subjects and ways of learning were really interesting, and we were also put outside of our comfort zone. I especially enjoyed the passion project at the end of the year.

I decided my passion project would be to create a charity. I was determined to do something not just for myself, but for other people too. After going to Mercy Place to sing for the residents each week throughout the year for my Duke of Edinburgh Award, I wanted to tie it into my project.

I created a charity to give all the residents a special Christmas, as I knew so many of them wouldn’t see their families over this time. My great-grandmother passed away just as I was starting the project, while she was in a retirement home, and I knew something like this would have made her Christmas. I named my charity after her, Antoinette.

I raised funds from the Warrnambool community and this went together to form little presents for each of the 120 residents at Mercy Place.

I visited a couple of days before Christmas to have a Christmas performance and hand out the presents. It was really rewarding to see what a difference the little presents and thought made to the residents. This was a fantastic opportunity that I wouldn’t have had without the 9@RICE program.

Having a space designed specifically for the 9@RICE program will be incredibly beneficial. It’s so important to have a learning space designed specifically for this program, as it's a different way of learning which doesn’t suit a regular classroom. I’m really looking forward to seeing the completed building.

- Mia Hynes, Year 10 Student