ONTARIO CANADA

12 - 15 Years Old
 

Anne O.

 Anne has held a charity fundraiser called ''Thc Kids for Kids backyard Benefit Concert'' for the past six years to raise money for Grandview Children's Foundation. At the concert, local stores provide donations and friends perform and sell refreshments. To date, she Las raised $1,300 for the centre, and has inspired her six-year-old sister Megan to organize a penny fair with proceeds going to the Ark, a local teen shelter.
 

Laurie-Ann and Carolyn-Marie G.

. Together, Laurie-Ann and Carolyn-Marie created the "Shoe Box Kids Club" to help needy children in the Orillia area. The club has grown to include members of a music studio, a high school and neighboring elementary schools. The boxes contain items donated by local companies, and include personal hygiene items. school supplies, toys and clothes. Nearly 500 boxes are assemnbled and
delivered every year.
 

Laura H.

 Four years ago, Laura began to work with Free The Children International, a children's organization that fights against the exploitation of young people. She has spoken in Canada, USA and Sweden about children's rights. organized relief campaigns for Kosovo's child refugees and raised money for Turkey's earthquake victims. During the summer, Laura volunteers at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario.
 

Emilianne S.

 Emilianne was inspired to help the refugees in Kosovo after hearing of the devastation in their homeland. Emilianne worked with her best friend Sarah to create the "Coins for Kosovo" program, which educated students in her school about the effects of the conflict through posters and daily announcements. The program raised more than $1 ,500 (twice their goal) to help the people of Kosovo.
 

Cindy M.

 Cindy plays her violin at local hospitals and homes for the elderly She also dresses up as a clown and makes animal balloons, and dances at fundraisers for charities such as the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Breast Cancer Society and the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation. As  Cindy says, "I see people at the hospital who are suffering and really need a cure and every little bit helps.'' Cindy also organized a Canada Day parade on her street to bring awareness of the importance of volunteering to other children.
 

Lisa  N.

 Inspired by her autistic brother Matt, Lisa's goal is "to make those without special needs feel comfortable around people with disabilities. I want to educate them on what they're missing and show them they could learn ftom those with disabilities; that there's a. world where love is the onlv language spoken." To achieve her goal, Lisa encouraged others to visit and interact with the special needs children in her school's Community Living Classroom.
 

Paul C.

 After surgery and chemotherapy for cancer, Paul decided to raise awareness, money and support so that others can beat cancer as well. He has participated in the Great Ride/Stride event, as well as radio and television interview's, speeches and promotional videos for the Canadian Cancer Society. In the past five years, Paul has raised over $42,000.
 

Danny K.

 Danny wanted to improve the daily announcements at his school; so that other students would be interested and pay attention. He compiled, prepared and gathered support to change the dailv announcements broadcast, and the new radio-style format was a great success. Danny is pleased that the new format is still being used, saying that 'different opinions, different inspirations, different dreams all contribute to making a better community!"
 

Vehniah T.

  Vehniah was determined to help young Canadians o£ Filipino heritage develop a deeper sense of
pride in their culture while strenghtening their sense of identity as Canadian citizens. In the past three years, she has assisted more than one hundred children aged 6 to 11 in a course on cultural heritage at the Filipino Community Centre. Through her work, Vehniah hopes to show her peers and others "that we all belong…that we all have an identity to be proud of…and that we all have the potential to be powerful agents for positive and lasting change in our society."
 

 Sarah C.

Since the age of four, Sara has been dedicated to raising money and awareness in her community about cystic fibrosis, a disease which she herself has. Sarah has organized two walk-a-thons which have raised $7,400 for CF research, and has organized events with other children to generate awareness about  CF. In addition to speaking publically about CF Sarah also participates in Guiding and Scouting, and is now a junior 1eader, working with other children in community service projects such as picking up garbage, sorting food and toys for food drives and visiting senior citizens.
 

 Sandra M.

  Through her involvement in the environmental group called Rescue Mission: Planet Earth, Sandra was inspired to write a poem about the environment which was later put to music and recorded by she and her sister.The poem was later published in a book of poetry and distributed around Canada, and after winning a song contest, Sandra and her sister were asked to perform their song in front of an international audience.
 

 Jartits C.

  As a lover of all living things, especially frogs, James has committed to raising others' awareness of the effect pollution has on the environment not only for humans but for animals as welt. This is accomplished through presentations and speech meets. James also volunteers at Reptilia a local pet store dedicated to teaching people about reptiles, amphibians and their environments, and he says he is now fulfilling his dream "of leading others to realize that all life deserves to be treated with respect."
 

Yutharshani S.

 Yutharshani is active in the fight against child hunger, and volunteers with "Food Buddies,"
giving food and clothing to the homeless on the street. She also helps with her school's milk program and is member of the Peer Helper and Multicultural Clubs. Recently, Yutharshani  helped to make a quilt at a local seniors' centre and participated in a program run through the Stephen Leacock Community Seniors called "Knitting Generations Together'' which created small blankets for hospitals and downtown shelters.
 

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