Alumni donate $15K to children’s centre

Brenton Stacey
Public relations officer
Avondale College of Higher Education
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia

A local childcare centre will replace its rudimentary asphalt driveway after Avondale College of Higher Education alumni donated $15,000.

Morisset and District Children’s Centre director Melinda Lynch received the money from Avondale College Seventh-day Adventist Church treasurer Troy Livah and Avondale vice-president Dr Jane Fernandez-Goldborough during the church’s worship service on Saturday (August 11). She told the congregation she had been overwhelmed by their generosity.

Members of the church initially donated $1100 through the giving of offerings—the church reserves 30 per cent of its weekly local offering for community or mission projects. “The project proved to be more expensive than we imagined and we wanted to follow through,” says interim senior minister Dr Steve Thompson. Current and former Avondale staff members then pitched in, donating $14,000.

The college has a good relationship with the centre, which cares at short notice for children of students and accepts early childhood education students seeking placements for their practicums.

The church, through its young adult ministry Regeneration, has previously supported the centre by raising money for new toys and by painting a mural.

“For years, our focus has been on supporting projects overseas, so to support one in our local community, particularly when there’s a mutual benefit, is gratifying,” says Steve.