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Teacher receives $40,000 in donations funding a hearing operation to teach again

February 26, 2013

A teacher at Mairehau Primary School received $40,000 in donations to fund an operation that will regain her hearing after recently going deaf.

34 year-old Alice Woodcock was born with limited hearing, but lost it all over the school holidays and doctors still have no explanation. Her condition forced her to take a medical leave from the classroom.

After the kindness and generosity of friends, family, and strangers, Woodcock will be back in the classroom as early as next term. The school set up a fundraiser to raise $40,000 which will cover the two cochlear implants.

Mairehau Primary School Principal John Bagma claims donations were coming not only from the community, but from all over the world.

"We had some from in the school but we've had [donations] from all over, I've had an email from somebody in Chicago, somebody in Australia donating and the money keeps rolling in."

The fundraiser idea was sparked by the students who wanted to have raffles to raise money for their beloved teacher. They also sold cupcakes and donated what little money they had.

The largest single donation came in at $20,000, from the company Buildtech, who has never met Alice Woodcock.

"When we heard her story, we thought 'yes, it's a lot of money'," said Buildtech Director Israel Cooper. "But in the scheme of things it's actually not a lot of money if you can restore someone's hearing and their livelihood," he says.

Source: 3News