Carndonagh girls make “800? call

If your mobile phone has packed up or you have upgraded to a newer model and you are wondering what to do with your old one – then get in touch with St. Patrick’s Girls School in Carndonagh where the pupils, staff and parents’ association have embarked on ambitious fundraising campaign in aid of the Jack & Jill Foundation. The campaign, entitled “Boards for Phones,” is aiming to collect 800 mobile to raise much needed funds for home nursing care for sick children, whilst increasing the accessibility of innovative teaching and learning technology for Ireland’s schoolchildren. In order to reach the 800 target, the school has appealed to the entire Inishowen community to become involved. The collection of 800 old mobile phones will result in: * The Jack & Jill Foundation receiving nursing care for a sick child for three months, equivalent to €6,800 approximately. * The school receiving two interactive whiteboards valued at €6,000. * Third World countries being provided with “new” mobile phones. * The prevention of pollution caused by putting old phones into landfills. The Jack & Jill Foundation is an Irish charity that supports the families of babies who are born with or develop brain damage and who suffer severe intellectual and physical developmental delay as a result. Today, it provides home nursing care to 300 families in Ireland, the recycling of mobile phones is its main source of funding, with 250 phones buying home nursing care for a sick child for one month. An interactive whiteboard is a large, white touch sensitive board which provides direct online access to the vast resources of the internet. They will enable a more varied, creative and engaging classroom which will increase enjoyment and motivation in the children. They will ensure the school is embracing the most up to date IT technology and will provide greater opportunities for the children to develop excellent IT skills. The school beleves their target of 800 phones is achievable as most households have a few old mobiles in drawers and cupboards etc. They want you round them up, dig them out and donate them to this worthy cause, before March 26 next. School spokesperson Helen Nolan the campaign offered the opportunity to everyone to “be a winner.” She said: The community gets to play their part in helping sick children all over Ireland, the children get to see that helping a charity need not always mean donating money and the parents benefit by not having to directly fund the high cost of the interactive whiteboards.” Phones can be dropped into the school or placed in one of the collection boxes located in Simpsons Supermarket, SuperValu, JJ Kellys, G&S or the Post Office in Carndonagh. Alternatively call the school on 9374412 to arrange to have them collected.