As part of our Graduation Ceremony, Charlotte (G10, UK) was one of the students asked to deliver short speeches on aspect of Surval extra-curricular life. Charity Club member Charlotte spoke about her experience of volunteering for Cartons du Coeur, a charity that provides food and toiletries for local people in need.
Boxes From the heart...
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The first time I went to Cartons du Coeur, I went because Madame Spigarelli had put my name down! I had no idea what Cartons du Coeur actually was. I went with Rebe and Madame Spigarelli, and we picked up the boxes of food and toiletries - life necessities.
When we got to the first apartment and I saw the conditions that the people were living in, it really took me back. For example, a family with six children were all living in one small apartment with hardly any possessions, and obviously not enough money to buy food for them all. I honestly thought that if someone lived in Montreux, they would be rich. Last time I went to Cartons du Coeur, we visited a woman living alone with her cat. She has just lost her job and can’t afford to buy food.
With Cartons du Coeur, every time we go, we help people who really need it. If girls drop out at the last minute because they can’t go, I always take the opportunity to go instead. Charity has played a big part in my life because my older brother has been nearly completely blind since he was little, and MACS, a charity that supports children born with underdeveloped eyesight, has been there supporting him his whole life. This had made me personally appreciate how things that we do to help others that seem small to us, are not small at all to the people that are being helped. The people we help at Cartons du Coeur are really, really grateful - they don’t stop saying thank you while we’re there. Cartons du Coeur means boxes from the heart, and we are giving the boxes with love.
I want to thank Madame Spigarelli for giving me this opportunity to help others; it has not only made me more grateful for the things I am fortunate to have, but it has inspired me with a desire to do what I can whenever I can to help other people for the rest of my life.