Counting down the days in a helpful way

FOR the fifth year, fifteen-year-old Buninyong teen Jake Sbardella is set to sell his Happiness Advent Calendars to raise money for local charities providing support for the vulnerable.

To date, Mr Sbardella said he has donated over $15,000 to Anglicare, The Soup Bus, The One Humanity Shower bus, St Vincent DePaul, Uniting Care and Backpack Beds for Homeless.

“I first got the idea for the fundraising on a trip to Melbourne where I was upset by the homelessness I saw there,” he said.

“Initially, we went to the soup bus to see if I could volunteer but I was too young.

“We then went online to see if we could find any ways to raise money and we found Sleep Swags, which is where we got the idea to sell these calendars to buy just one sleep swag and it blew up overnight.”

With many of the markets cancelled that they would usually fundraise at, Mr Sbardella is hoping this year people will continue to purchase them, this time mostly online.

Emma Sbardella, Mr Sbardella’s mum, said the calendars can be bought through Facebook and at a few local places including Hattie and the Wolf, Noddy’s Cottage and The Charity Card Shop.

“He came up with the idea for the calendars when he was ten and everyone wanted one of their own, so we figured if people were already willing to buy them we could use it as a way for Jake to raise money for the homeless,” she said.

“I design them all and then they are printed locally at Revolution Print.

“It’s tricky this year because we would normally go to Spring Fest and the Buninyong Markets but they’ve all been cancelled so we’re just hoping to still raise money.”

Additionally, with the help of his grandfather, Mr Sbardella is also selling handmade pallet Christmas trees that come in sizes small to large.

Especially this year, Ms Sbardella said it’s been a great way to get everyone involved in raising some much-needed funds and awareness for the vulnerable members of the community.

“If people are looking for little gifts, it’s a good way to give back to the community and is a feel-good thing at the same time,” she said.

“It’s been quite humbling to be involved.

“Obviously, there’s even more families this year doing it tough and these organisations are going to need more money than they needed in the past, so we hope we can help.”

To place an order for a calendar or tree, visit facebook.com/happinessadventcalendars and send a message.