Canley Vale Public School contributing time and skill for a shared goal.
This letter was sent to The TOTS Blanket Challenge by Sally Quan, Schools as Community Centres (SaCC) Facilitator and we wanted to share this with our wider community.
“In the many years that I’ve worked at Canley Vale Public School (CVPS), one of the greatest things that I continue to be amazed by is the generosity of our community. From school events to donation drives, members of the community have always been willing to give.
As the recently appointed Schools as Community Centres (SaCC) Facilitator at CVPS, I wanted to continue fostering a culture of connectedness by involving the community in a meaningful humanitarian initiative. I wanted something that was hands-on, would bring people together and, most importantly, make a real difference in the lives of others.
After doing some research, I discovered The Creative Fringe, a social enterprise that runs the TOTS Blanket Challenge annually, where volunteers knit and crochet granny squares to create blankets for people experiencing homelessness. Their work inspired me, and I knew this could be the perfect project for our school.
I spoke with our school principal about the idea, and after a positive discussion, we signed up to be part of the TOTS Blanket Challenge. To bring the project to life, I organised a knitting workshop, which was open to all CVPS students and staff, and members of the wider community. The vision was simple: create a space where everyone could contribute their time and skills toward a shared goal.
With the principals full support, the workshop launched and ran every Tuesday afternoon. What started as a small idea quickly grew into something beautiful. We had parents, grandparents, children, staff, and even my own family members joined in. Many donated wool, knitting and crochet needles, time, and energy, all united by the goal of helping those in need.
Through weeks of dedication, laughter, learning, and a whole lot of yarn, our school community successfully created 12 warm, handmade blankets. These blankets have now been donated to The Creative Fringe, and they will go on to provide warmth and comfort to those deserving of care, human connection, and love.
This project showed me how powerful community can be when we come together with compassion and purpose. One stitch at a time, we made a difference.
I would like to say a big thank you to my school principal (Margaret), my wonderful colleagues (Tracey, Luise, Mira, Cynthia, Betty, Catherine, Alesha, Zaynab and Laurie), members of the school community (especially Shirley and her great granddaughters, Emma, Alazae and Rongomai), parents of our dear CVPS students (Kim, Waraporn, Qianyu, Eva, Bich, Pat, and Ili), My playgroup colleague Marline, and members of my family (my sisters, Linh and Lisa, my niece, Christina, and my daughter, Fernanda).”
