Workingmen’s club gets in behind Onehunga Primary
Onehunga Primary has a new gold sponsor.
Onehunga Primary School will receive a welcome addition to their classroom materials with the help of Onehunga Workingmen’s Club.
The club has become a gold sponsor and will give $2000 to the school, which will go towards the purchase of new maths materials, reading books, and puzzles.
Over the years, the club has supported numerous local schools with grants and scholarships.
The funds are made available with the profits from the club’s gaming machines and it is part of their requirement to give money back to the community.
Club president, Bill Gregory, says helping the school is money well spent.
“It’s the same with lotto and all the grants they give out. We’re the same,” Mr Gregory says.
“We have so much we have to give out and we enjoy giving out because hopefully we’ll be seeing future members of the club.
“We want the community to look at us not just as a workingmen’s club but [as being] there to help the community as a whole.”
As the school’s funding from the government and parents does not cover everything the school board would like to provide, they have looked to the wider community.
The board set up the Friends of the School Sponsorship Programme and invited organisations in the area to get involved.
In return for their sponsorship funds (bronze, silver or gold), they receive regular advertising in the school’s newsletters.
Friends of the School committee member, George Woodward, says it’s incumbent on everybody to help support children’s education.
“The children are going to be the business leaders and workers of the future,” he says.
“It’s funding we wouldn’t normally have. It’s amazing.”
School principal, Mavis Moodie says the donation is fantastic.
“We are having a big drive on improving literacy and numeracy and money spent on classroom equipment to support this will be a big bonus for our children’s learning,” she says.
Contact manager@owmc.co.nz for information about the club and its facilities or mmoodie@onehungaprimary.school.nz to enquire about the sponsorship programme.
