Dedicated Melbournian sports coach Peter Cole has taken another major step forward in his crusade to make a difference to the lives of Fiji's impoverished school children.

 

An impromptu auction at the close of Worldwide Online Printing's national conference in Fiji raised $2,500 for Cole's Spirit of Sharing Mission. The funds will be used to make sure sports equipment and clothing reach Fijian youngsters.

 

Cole's tireless crusade began when he visited Fijian schools during holiday in 2000. "It breaks your heart to see to vibrant kids forced to improvise games with sticks and bottles, because their playgrounds just don't have the gear", said Cole "So I decided to do something about it."

He pledged to give them more, and launched his Mission in 2001 with a call to Australian families to raid their attics, backyards and toy cupboards for little-used and unwanted bats and balls.

 

This October, Cole overcame Fijian bureaucratic hurdles and costs to get $300,000 worth of donated sporting equipment to Fiji and into the hands of delighted children - many of whom, until then, had never played sport with anything other than empty cans and home-made bats.

 

The $2,500 was raised after Worldwide delegates were reminded of Cole's efforts by the company's Melbourne-based national conference organiser Jan Ruzzier.

 

 

"Although Peter's story is very engaging, I couldn't believe it when one of the delegates grabbed the microphone during the gala dinner later that day and launched an auction for an event poster! When the bidding ended at $2500, everyone was stunned because we realized it could make such a big difference to young people who have so very little."

 

For Peter Cole, the money will come close to covering the freight charges for the next load of sports equipment to more of Fiji's 150 schools.

 

"Achieving something as simple as helping people 'who - have to' enrich the lives of young people who 'have not', can often be very difficult," he said. "When a group of busy people take time out to make this sort of effort, it reminds me why it's so important that I keep battling away. Thank you Worldwide."

 

Anyone interested in making a donation to the Spirit of Sharing Mission, whether monetary or of pre-loved or new sporting equipment, can contact Peter Cole on petercole20@hotmail.com.

 

Picture:       Peter Cole accepts a cheque from Jan Ruzzier of Worldwide for his Spirit of Sharing Mission 

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