Emily’s special Christmas gift to brother’s autism unit
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Emily Rogers (centre), presenting the cheque to the ‘Sonas’ class in Scoil Eoin Báiste where her brother Jamie (second from left), is a pupil. Emily (centre),is pictured with the Sonas class members (from left), Danny, Jamie, Esmay and Shamaya.Image 2 of 4
Emily Rogers (9) and brother Jamie (7) with the cheque from the proceeds from sales of her Christmas decorations which she donated to the Sonas class in Scoil Eoin Báiste, Nobber.Image 3 of 4
Emily with the box of decorations that sold out in a day in her local shop in Kilmainhamwood.Image 4 of 4
Some of the “gonk” decorations made by Emily.A KIND-HEARTED Kilmainhamwood girl who made Christmas decorations to raise funds for the autism unit at her little brother's school was delighted to present a cheque for €300 to Scoil Eoin Baiste, Nobber, last week.
Nine-year-old Emily Rogers started making 'gonk' decorations with her nana, Helen Finnegan and decided she would try to sell them to raise money for a good cause.
Her seven-year-old brother Jamie is in senior infants and attends the ASD unit at Nobber NS and kind Emily wanted to raise money for his 'Sonas' class.
Proud mum Christine told how Emily was staying with her granny who showed her how to make the cute 'gonk' decorations before Christmas.
“On the way home, Emily asked me if she made the decorations, did I think people would buy them and I said they probably would. Then she said the money she gets, she could give to Jamie's class.”
Christine recalled that a text had come out from Jamie's school a few weeks earlier looking for donations of toys and books and while Emily didn't want to part with her toys, she wanted to raise money for the unit so they could buy them instead.
“I thought it was a lovely idea and her daddy, Enda said he would match whatever she raised.”
Emily and her nana Helen made a box of 29 of the decorations and put them in Colette's shop in Kilmainhamwood. That evening, Colette texted Christine to tell her the whole box had been sold. Emily was absolutely over the moon, she couldn't believe it, said Christine.
The plan had been to put a box in two other shops but as word spread about what Emily was doing, she couldn't make them quick enough to keep up with text orders.
Altogether, Emily made around 100 decorations, with some even making it as far as Cork. Her mum told how one woman from Cork was in touch on Facebook to say she had them hanging on her tree.
Emily is in third class in Kilmainhamwood NS and on Wednesday she visited her brother's school Scoil Eoin Báiste to present a cheque for €300. Emily raised €150 through selling the decorations and her dad Enda's Breague Construction matched this with another €150.