Page 16 The Standard, Wednesday, June 28,1995


Blind River/North Shore


Murielle's dream continues


After 25 years, Ecole St. Joseph still supports third world children


By KEVIN McSHEFFREY
of The Standard


BLIND RIVER - Yesterday, Ecole St. Joseph held a bingo for a very special cause.


The money raised from the bingo will go toward sponsoring the school's adopted child in Indonesia.


The adoption program was started about 25 years ago by a grade 6 student, Murielle McCoy.


Murielle, then about 12, saw starving children on television and wanted to do something to help ease their suffering, says Dell McCoy, Murielle's mother.


"She was a very sensitive girl," McCoy says.


"Things like that really affected her. She took ,it upon herself to do it, and she did it."


Her mother encouraged her to speak to her class about adopting a child. The class agreed, and began collecting money to pay the monthy fee.


Later, collection banks were placed in each classroom to help with donations.

Photo
Slamet Sukri


A few years ago, the school decided to hold a yearly bingo to raise the $276 yearly fee for the adopted child program.


After Murielle left Ecole St. Joseph for high school, the project was taken over by Murielle's cousin Don McCoy, a teacher at the school.


In 1975, Murielle, then a 17-year-old grade 10 student, died of a brain tumor.


But the program she started has continued to this day.


After the retirement of Don McCoy in January, Beatrice Jensen, another teacher at the school, took over the program.


Ecole St. Joseph is now on their fifth adopted child. The first was an 8-year-old boy, Juunari Jumadi, an Indonesian. He was of age to leave the World Vision Canada program the year Murielle died.


Currently, the school sponsors Slamet Sukri, a 15 year-old student in junior high. He is also registered with World Vision Canada.


Under the program, Slamet can go to school and his family can receive medical care.


The school receives a progress report on Slamet three times a year.