After his University of Manitoba speaking engagement – the first time he had ever given a public speech – Mr. Cook began getting requests to deliver his message to other audiences. Last year, as a spokesperson for the Mimo Bimaadiziwin program, he went on a speaking tour across the province as part of the National Aboriginal Addictions Awareness Week.
He continues to spread his message of hope by visiting schools in various native communities in the province.
Sameer Dhar, 17, Edmonton
In 2009, Sameer Dhar co-founded GEOMEER, an organization that helps families in need, with his high-school student council adviser.
Mr. Dhar doesn’t expect to know the names of the people his Edmonton-based organization helps through its Helping Hampers project, which delivers thousands of dollars’ worth of household goods and grocery gift cards.
“We work with a network of elementary and junior high schools in the Edmonton area and they select the families who will be receive our Helping Hampers,” explains Mr. Dhar, a first-year science student at the University of Alberta. “We deliver the hampers to the school and they deliver it to the families.”
But shortly after Helping Hampers distributed its first round of donations to eight families – with each family receiving about $2,000 worth of goods and gift cards – Mr. Dhar was approached by one of the families.
“It was a pretty emotional meeting – I was close to tears,” recalls Mr. Dhar, who juggles his studies with his work on GEOMEER, which takes up about 8 hours a week, and dozens of hours more during campaign weeks for Helping Hampers.
GEOMEER has, so far, raised about $100,000 worth of goods and financial donations for its Helping Hampers project. Its network of schools has expanded from the initial six to 41 elementary and junior high schools. GEOMEER is now getting ready to launch its Suit Up project, which will give families in need gift cards to buy new clothes.
Megan Fultz, 19, Winnipeg
When Megan Fultz received a $70,000 scholarship cheque three years ago from TD Canada Trust, she figured she had more then enough to finance her university education. So she donated a generous portion of her scholarship money to the University of Winnipeg’s bursary fund for refugees and native students.
“I needed to provide opportunities for other people who didn’t have the same chance to go university,” says Ms. Fultz, who just finished her second year of studies at the University of Winnipeg, where she is pursuing a double major in human rights and global studies, and international development.
Those who know Ms. Fultz wouldn’t be surprised by her act of generosity. While still in high school, she co-founded the Winnipeg chapter of Oxfam Canada, which works to secure basic human rights in impoverished communities around the world. Shortly after, she helped set up two Oxfam student groups – one at the University of Winnipeg and the other at University of Manitoba. The groups have partnered with other organizations to put on fundraising events, including Run 4 Darfur, which raised $15,000.
Ms. Fultz, who is now Oxfam Canada’s regional chair for the Prairies, visited India last year as part of an Oxfam International trip. Although she has brittle bone disease and often uses a wheelchair, she bravely navigated the slums of New Delhi on crutches.
“It was a challenging experience but also wonderful,” she recalls. “It was hard to see people living in such difficult conditions, but at the same time the people were some of the nicest and most special people I have ever met.”
Tiffany Harrington, 17, Oshawa
Age is just a number. At least that’s how Tiffany Harrington, a Monsignor Paul Dwyer high school student sees it.
