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After Emma made the first one for Jake, the idea took off from there.<\/p>\n
\u201cA few of our close friends said, \u2018Awww, this is great\u2019,\u201d Ms Sbardella said. \u201cThey wanted them, and I said to Jake, \u2018Well maybe this is a way you could raise some money for a cause that you are really passionate about\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Producing the calendars is a team effort. Jake chooses the quotes \u2013 saving the best one for Christmas Eve \u2013 and his mum does the design work, creating the layout and images that wrap around the words.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got them printed up for free by Revolution Print the first year. They thought it was a good idea,\u201d Jake said. \u201cWe weren\u2019t expecting to sell many, I think we were expecting to raise $70 and it went crazy overnight.<\/p>\n
Uniting Care Ballarat\u2019s Street to Home coordinator, Adam Liversage, received the handover of supplies for rough sleepers from Jake.<\/p>\n
Before Jake and his mum dropped off the equipment, they spoke to Mr Liversage to make sure they were able to supply just what the organisation needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fantastic to see young people investing their time and interest into something like helping the homeless,\u201d Mr Liversage said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe battle financially and have budget constraints, so this contribution helps us an awful lot. We go though a lot of tents, mattresses and sleeping bags, especially at this time of year when we get an influx of rough sleepers into the region.\u201d<\/p>\n
Along with the supplies Jake was also able to make significant donations to the One Humanity Shower Bus, St Vincent De Paul, the Ballarat Soup Bus and Anglicare Ballarat.<\/p>\n
2019 wasn\u2019t the first time Jake, who\u2019s in year 9 at Damascus College, has raised money selling the happiness advent calendars.<\/p>\n
In between 2016 and 2018 he was able to donate almost $10,000 worth of money and supplies to organisations across the city, including 24 backpack beds to Anglicare.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A SIMPLE desire for a happy lead up to Christmas has once again culminated in a young man raising enough money to donate eleven tents, sleeping bags and camp rolls for people sleeping rough. Jake Sbardella\u2019s happiness advent calendars, sold at markets across the region in the six months before Christmas, meant he was able […]<\/p>\n