This year on 'Giving Tuesday', 30th November, we will be launching our fundraiser for the local volunteer Firefighters OEDD (Volunteer Forest Firefighters and Rescuers) for a new small rapid intervention vehicle (fire engine) to keep them safe on the road and help them do their job, to keep us all safe and out of harms way.

This year the fires in Athens made it all so much more real to so many of our families and friends, many of our families have a story to tell. and this was when it came to the attention of the Headmaster for the need for a small fire engine to reach all incidents, in all areas. Volunteer services do not have the resources needed for such an undertaking and Headmaster,  Mr Smith asked the question. How can we help?

Head of Development, Deborah Eleftheriou shares " This year we received the dreaded text to evacuate our house, not once, but twice. We were the lucky ones to return to our home. It was not by chance that we went home safely, it was the heroes out all night fighting the fires on our behalf" Thank you from all our family and friends who lived those nights with us! Be safe everyone!

A family in our community " our horses were in the Varimbombi stables and it was the most frightening experience for all our family and most of all for our animals.  With huge respect and appreciation to the firefighters who fought with all their might to save our animals for days on end with empathy and compassion.  You cannot imagine how this feels until it happens to you. There are never enough firefighters in a fire that has a mind of its own"  Thank you from our hearts

This fundraiser is very 'close to the hearts' of the St Catherine's community and the children and staff of St Catherine's invite you to play a part with them. Please visit the support page on StCatsConnect for more details about the campaign, and be inspired by a team of real heroes to make a donation to help us reach our goal!  

This team represents the volunteer fire fighters in our area, and they respond to over 400 - 500 incidents and emergency calls each year, and they service directly over 44,000 citizens in Kifissia alone, and are on call for the whole of the Attiki and on duty for all of us, including the school 24/7, 365. They respond in minutes and have done with the highest level of certifications and training available.

Remember not all heroes wear capes, sometimes they wear heavy uniforms, hard hats and boots and really put their lives on the line for us!

Quotes from the Katherimerini newspaper make us understand the importance of volunteers:

"If there had been more volunteers last year, we would have saved many hectares because volunteers can fight local fires in the first crucial moments"

"Love of people and the environment, and making a contribution to society are why I became a volunteer firefighter. The state isn’t enough. Everyone has to do something."

"I live on Pendeli, which has been burnt many times. I watched the flames and couldn’t do anything until I decided to join the Fire Service as a volunteer. With knowledge, you feel safe in a fire. We founded an association and, with other local associations, we collected money to replace the municipality’s old fire engine"

Meet Kimon Pantelides, Fire Chief and St Catherine's alumnus, who talks about why this campaign is important, and why your support could really make a difference! Get to know the person behind the vision, the team that supports this amazing effort and take a walk with them around their humble station, filled with warmth and people who really care and volunteer to save others!

The PTSA has very kindly offered to start off the fundraiser with a generous donation of 2,000€, which will also be matched by the school. Next Tuesday will be a non-uniform day for whole school and we will all be wearing red, to support this very worthy cause. Students will be donating their own 'mufti' day 2€ towards the cause, meeting the team and learning all about what these young men and women do every day, keeping us all safe and how they care enough to be volunteers and put their own lives at risk for all of us. 

We would like to ask parents and our community to make a further donation through our online platform and help us reach our target of €57,000 to purchase a much needed small rapid intervention vehicle which will ensure not only greater cover in all the key Attiki areas where our community and their families live: Ekali; Kifissia, Nea Erithea: Dionissos; Anoixi; Agios Stefano and Krioneri, to name a few, but keep our firemen safe on the road too.

Depending on how much we can raise will depend on our level of real help, so let’s show them what we can do when we do it together! Help your firefighters and donate through the button below for our 'Keep the Firefighters safe on the road Campaign'; they really appreciate your support!  

We will welcome the Mayor of Lykovrissi, Mr Anastasios Mavridis and our H&S Governor Mr George Paleokrassas to launch the fundraiser together with Headteacher, Mr Smith and Fire Chief Kimon Pantelides together with all the children and staff of St Catherine's. The firefighters will be in school all day to meet the students, and the Development Office will keep the community updated on social media and in StCatsConnect on the progress of the fundraiser and photos and videos of the children meeting with the firefighters  and learning about the importance of respecting fire and keeping safe.

Please visit our support page today : Thank you for your support today!

If you wish to make your donation through a bank trasfer, please read the information in this link. Thank you!

You have heard the story and watched the video, thank you for joining us to support this worthy cause with good people who are doing an excellent job.  The next step is difficult for them alone without help.  

Let's make a difference together as a community!