Sunshine School

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 426, 7 August 1928, Page 1

Sunshine School

FOR CITY’S SICK CHILDREN

Street Appeal to be Made

IT is hoped that a new era will dawn for the city’s sick and convalescent children after an appeal for funds to he made in the Auckland streets on Friday.

The medical profession and those who have been pireminently connected with the very successful activities of the Play and Recreation Community Service in the Freeman’s Bay area are combining to secure funds for a children’s sunshine school, a new venture which probably will make a successful appeal to Auckland citizens.

many months the Play and Recreation Association has been doing a very fine work, but it has long realised that it was only touching the fringe of the work it could do, and that there were many sick children in Auckland that it could not help. Some of the children were not ill enough to be sent to hospital, some of them required attention and excellent surroundings in which to pick up the threads of their young lives after leaving the hospital.

tinue the community work which has been so successful since the children’s club was formed. This has taken the children from the streets, and has introduced them to good things, cosy fires, games, old-time dances, gymnastics, hobbies, dramatics—all sorts of things that only a glance into the old club-rooms proved the value of. There is character among these children, and they are being developed, not on the mass-production plan. This is being avoided as much as possible. DEPENDS ON FINANCES The whole question of future development rests, of course, with the financial position. The organisation

In so many words, to send them back to the ordinary routine, and to the average strenuousness of the child’s life, was not giving them a fair deal.

Some months ago the organisation lost its headquarters, and to the question of finding another building with some degree of security of tenure. It decided to make a bid to secure the old Nelson Street School with the idea of remodelling it to suit the requirements. A deputation headed by Mrs. Ferner waited on the Prime Minister and secured a favourable hearing on the subject of purchasing the school, though the Prime Minister pointed out its value, and gave no promises. DOCTORS OFFER HELP At this stage a number of prominent physicians in the city suggested that the organisation might well extend its work to cover some service to the sick children, an idea which found immediate favour. From it developed the sugestion to form a sunshine school. The idea is that sick children will be taken in from all over the city, will spend their days at the school and sleep at home, transport not being considered an insurmountable difii culty. The physicians offered to provide an honorary staff, as there is at the

has people who have put their hearts and souls into the work, and these are now being strengthened by medical men, who are offering their services free, as they have often done before. The association has already received remarkable support, and its building fund has seen generous contributions, including one of £ 2,000 from the Auckland Savings Bank. Its present requirement is a sum of another £2,000 to equip and furnish its building, and to remodel it to allow of the service proposed. , This will be the reason for the appeal for funds on Friday, an appeal which has every possible thing to commend it, and which gives those who do not help personally, an opportunity of assisting those who work so hard.

Auckland Hospital, and there will be a nurse. The doctors will prescribe the amount of study to be done, and the class of work. Particularly in the summer months every opportunity wil be taken. „o give plenty of sunshine treatment.

As the scheme develops it is proposed to use the old school, or whatever building is secured, for clubrooms in the evenings, and to con-