15.11.2009
The project “Christmas in a Shoebox” has been well known in the past years for its charity work during Christmas. The aim of the organisation is to give children Christmas presents who would otherwise receive nothing for Christmas.
This year Moldavia was picked as recipient country. Unfortunately Moldavia is known as the “poor house” of Europe and children whose families are unemployed have little money or who are orphans receive nothing. “Christmas in a Shoebox” has organised collection centres in private households in Switzerland. The organisation makes itself known by way of mouth to mouth propaganda the internet, radio and pamphlets. It asks donators to fill a shoebox with presents for children and to bring it to a local collection centre. The cartons are marked according to the child’s sex and age. The centre checks the contents and on November 15 they will be picked up throughout Switzerland and sent to Moldavia with the transport firm Leimgruber from Basel. Representatives of the organisation accompany the transport and are on location when they are distributed in orphanages, schools, hospitals and municipal offices. Further information can be found under www.weihnachten-im-schuhkarton.ch
The Association of Swiss Professional Numismatists decided to support a charity project in this year and Christmas seemed the ideal time. A donation request to its members fetched
CHF 3’150.—
and material for CHF 300.-.
Members from Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany and the USA contributed to the effort.
The wife of the Secretary General, Margret Neumann-Lysloff, undertook the job as collection centre and was able to fill 50 boxes with presents, transfer CHF 500.—for transport costs and CHF 1400.—into a fund for enabling young Moldavians to learn a handicraft trade.
The executive board is thrilled by the positive resonance and encouraged to support a Christmas charity in the future.