THE paediatric wing at Peel Health Campus has lots of new toys for young people to play with thanks to a group of Mandurah Baptist College (MBC) students.
Jacinta Dansey, Clare Nyberg, Bryanna Minchin and Nico Lubbe were among several groups of students to think of generous things they could do for the community in the hopes people would pass on the good deeds.
Jacinta was inspired by the film Pay it Forward, in which a young boy launches a good-will movement where people do favours for each other to change the world for the better.
The group raised almost $2000 by holding a sausage sizzle and free dress days at MBC and purchased goods for older children spending time in hospital.
Among the donated items were portable DVD players, DVDs, Nintendo Wii accessories, Nintendo DS consoles, games and beanbags.
“We wanted to buy things to help kids between the ages of about 12 and 16 take their minds of their illnesses,” Jacinta said.
“There are lots of toys for younger kids at the hospital but not many things for older kids.
“They have lots of Nintendo DS games there but the consoles were stolen so we knew we wanted to buy new ones.
“We’re hoping people in the community will see this and pay it forward.
“We wanted to show how easy it can be to have a positive impression on someone’s life.”
Peel Health Campus chief executive officer Margaret Sturdy said the students’ generosity had taken her breath away.
“The maturity and generosity of spirit these students have shown will make a huge difference for kids in hospital,” she said.
“I can’t thank them enough and I feel that the future of the community is in good hands.”