Catholic Education Services Cairns is giving change to charity with the help of the Queensland Government’s Containers for Change scheme.

When the opportunity to support both the environment and a local youth charity came about, Administration Officer – Identity & Outreach, Priscilla O’Brien was eager to be involved.

“As a state, Queensland has the lowest rate of recycling and as a Catholic organisation we should take the lead in promoting more recycling and care for our common home,” tells Priscilla, who helped launch the Containers for Change initiative in the Catholic Education Services office earlier this year.

The Containers for Change refund scheme, which launched across Queensland in November last year, offers a 10c refund for every eligible container.

Choosing a charity

“I suggested that we donate to Reach Youth Group which is a Catholic youth group trying to engage young people in living their faith in deep and meaningful ways. Reach is committed to making a positive difference in our community. The idea is to connect these activities to their faith and the Catholic social teachings.”

With consistent donations every fortnight, the response in the office has been positive.

“I feel encouraged that as an organisation we are taking practical action to live our faith and contribute to making our world a better place. I am also grateful that through this initiative CES is supporting our youth in their endeavour to put their faith into action.”

While raising money for Reach is the primary goal, looking after our environment and setting a good example for our youth is just as important according to Priscilla.

“This is more than just the financial gain it is also about promoting care for the earth and us being good stewards of what we have been given by God so that it can be enjoyed by more generations.”

With a goal of raising $8000 for Reach Youth Group by the end of the year, Priscilla hopes other individuals, schools and parishes can get on board.

“We have two big faith events, Ignite Conference and Australian Catholic Youth Festival, that we hope to be able to send our youth to this year and give them the experience of being with like-minded young Catholics wanting to deepen their faith and be witnesses of God’s love in the world. If we can raise about $8000 we will be able to subsidise these events to make it a bit more affordable for parents to send their children.”

How you can support Reach through Containers for Change

Bag it: bag your containers in your own multi-use translucent garbage bags

Tag it: tag your containers using labels from your local container refund point, displaying your scheme ID and transaction ID. To support Reach Youth Group use: C10072786

Drop it: drop off your containers at your local container refund point

To find out more about the Containers for Change refund scheme, go to Containers for Change.