THE city’s Red Shield Appeal volunteers got an early start to their charity efforts, taking to the streets on Friday night in the hope of door knocking their way past last year’s fundraising benchmark.
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In 2017, more than $50,000 was raised in Orange, including $38,249.20 by 251 door-knocking volunteers over two days.
More than 300 school students and volunteers walked the streets over the course of Friday and the weekend, with the hope of adding $40,000 to the $20,000 raised through the event’s 2018 launch last Thursday.
James Sheahan Catholic High School’s Olivia Richards was part of one team which opted for a night of collecting donations over an evening of television on the couch.
Miss Richards walked Holman Way and Tinnock Place with friend Beth Mulligan.
She said that even though it was a bit cold the duo had wanted to make sure they did their part for the cause.
“We have always wanted to help out and this is the time of the year that we both could,” she said.
Miss Richards said it was her first year collecting for the Red Shield Appeal, although she had some experience volunteering.
The Salvation Army’s Captain Tahlia Grounds coordinated the volunteers, which meant ensuring each group of two to six people were designated an area and equipped with the right gear.
Captain Grounds said she hoped people were happy to have a knock on the door from the volunteers.
“Sometimes we hear ‘we missed you last year’, which is a shame but it’s great that the door-knockers are welcomed,” she said.
While her role is now behind the scenes, Captain Grounds has done her fair share of frontline Red Shield Appeal collections over the years.
“As a child I used to collect and it was great to hear ‘good on you, you’re doing a great job’,” she said.
“There was always that hope that the next door might be a big donation and it could be the ticket to a hot meal or a warm bed for someone for the night.
“It’s nice to feel that while you might be the legs on the ground, everyone else is doing their bit.”
Money raised from Orange’s Red Shield Appeal goes towards social services in the area.