Raising Funds For Kokoda Foundation
Tamborine Mountain State High School kids hit the trails to raise funds for the Kokoda Foundation. If you come across a regiment of teens on the trails around the hinterland, do not be alarmed, be amazed! TMSHS is fielding a staggering 13 teams in this year’s Kokoda Challenge on the Gold Coast, preparing to conquer the 30km, 48km and 96km distances on the 15th July. With a volunteer teacher or parent leading each team of four, students have been hitting the trails every weekend for the last two months, day and night, rain or shine.
Year 10 student Noa is well known on the Queensland track and field circuit, but this year, is taking on the Kokoda Challenge with some of her closest friends. “Understanding my teammates’ strengths and weaknesses, and adapting to them, has been the greatest challenge,” she says.
Teacher Aide Bruno is leading a school team over the gruelling 48km track for his second year in a row, finding his first attempt last year, “life changing”. Bruno tells us that what brought him back a second time was, “watching my team grow in confidence and the camaraderie that you develop with them. My son Nic is a member of my team, so doing the challenge together has been a great bonding experience.”
The students are hard at work fundraising for the Kokoda Foundation, a not-for-profit that delivers local youth programs transforming the lives of Gold Coast kids. With a daunting $12,000 fundraising goal to enable all teams to start, the school has been extremely grateful to many local businesses who have generously donated funds to help cover some of the costs. This support is crucial to keep the challenge as inclusive and equitable for as possible for all students.
Without their generous support, it would have been impossible for so many young people in our community to test their mental and physical limits, achieving things they may not have thought were ever possible.
If you would like to support any of the teams, head on over to the TMSHS FB Page, or email the school’s Kokoda Challenge Fundraising Coordinator, cdjon1@eq.edu.au
