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Congratulations to Arbour Lake School students Sierra Vongrad, Peyton Lake and Tyler Weninger, who were awarded the 2014 Governor General’s award for their commitment to helping others. According to the Governor General’s website, the Caring Canadian Award recognizes individuals who volunteer their time to help others and to build a smarter and more caring nation. The award also highlights the positive example set by these volunteers, whose compassion and engagement are so much a part of our Canadian character. It allows us to thank them for their contributions and for the positive impact they have had on the lives of others.

Read these remarkable students’ stories below.

Hi, my name is Sierra Vongrad and I am a Grade 9 student at Arbour Lake School. I have been doing individual things for Free the Children for 2 years now. I started doing this because of watching a commercial for We Day! I was really inspired by everyone who was doing all these great things and I too wanted to do something to help the people all over the world who don’t have the necessities to live. I also wanted to go to We Day to see these people in real life and learn more about their stories of how they are helping people all over the world. So to raise money my mom and I brainstormed some ideas of how to raise money to go to Free The Children. We came up with making my art into cards, and then selling them. With a little help from the teachers, and friends at the school I got to sell my art cards at lunch for two weeks, raising around $400.00! That was year one. Last year I wanted to raise some more money go to Free The Children so I got my left over cards from the year before and I got some new art made into larger prints, I put them into frames and I also donated an original piece of art to go in a raffle. Then when parent teacher interviews came around I sold raffle tickets for $2.00 each then I allowed the parents to pick which piece of art they could try to win, the things they could win were: a purple flower print, 2 beach prints and an abstract tree which was the original canvas painting. I also sold some remaining cards for one for $2.00 and three for $5.00. After the interviews I sold some tickets in the gathering space. So in the end I raised $213.00 to go towards the people in developing countries who need better necessities to live! At school I am also involved in Humanity Clubs, Ripple Effect and the Coyote Spirit Committee. I was really excited when Spencer West came to our school last June, and I am applying to go to We Day in November! In the future I will keep selling my art to help people all over the world and tell people about the ways they can help in their small way to make this world a better place. I also hope to talk at We Day some day in the future about what I have been doing and what I, and others, can do to make someone’s life better and also help everyone all over the world! Thanks!

 

 

 

Hey, it’s Tyler Weninger, and I am a Grade 8 student at Arbour Lake School. My passion and work these last two years has been to fundraise for United Way Calgary, for the Woods Homes Breakfast Program at the Children’s Village School. I have done many things to raise money such as selling chocolate bars at sports clubs, downtown offices, and at parent-teacher Interviews. As well, I arranged events like Japanese dinner parties and a Calgary Tower Climb. I was very inspired by Free The Children’s ambassadors - Craig Kielburger and Spencer West. They are very inspiring to me and set an excellent example. In the last 2 years I have raised over eleven thousand dollars for the United Way! In the future I would like to get more kids involved in helping others and bettering the community. Recently, I raised over five thousand six hundred dollars doing a fundraiser called Steps of Kindness. As you can see I have been busy making a difference in the world! I am always looking at ways to give back to the world. Everyone can make a difference!

 

 

 

Hi, it’s Peyton Lake. I am a Grade 7 student at Arbour Lake School. Last year, I was lucky enough to go to WE Day in Calgary and the Evening of Champions. In both events, I was inspired by everyone, but especially Spencer West and Amanda Lindhout. Hearing their stories, I thought that despite their circumstances, they managed to overcome these and still help others in need. I thought, if they can do this then I can help the world too.Christmas came and I thought that I get so many gifts but others do not. I decided to find a way to give back. I thought of things I could do to help. My mom is a teacher (so is my dad) and her teaching partner’s niece, Megan, was going on a Free the Children trip to Ghana. She needed to raise $5000 dollars. I thought about this, $5000 dollars is a lot of money and I decided to donate some of my Christmas money to her. I got $100 dollars for her. I decided to find a way to make even more money by selling some of the rafiki bracelets that I already own. I had the water and education bracelets on and my mom’s friend had never heard of Free the Children, so I introduced her to it. She loved the idea so I gave her my water and education rafikis and she gave me $20 dollars. Now I had $120 dollars to give to Megan. Also, a couple of friends and I sold Rainbow Loom bracelets, headbands, and action figures that we made with our classmates. We raised more money to help Megan.This past June, I shaved my head to raise money for cancer during our Shave-A-Lid campaign. At Arbour Lake School there were 5 teachers and about 30 students that also shaved their heads. We raised $20 000 for cancer research that day, and I raised $1 500 of that by myself!At Arbour Lake School, I am a member of the school’s Coyote Spirit Committee. Throughout the year we focus on monthly initiatives in the community like fundraising for– Terry Fox Run, Veteran’s Food Bank, Christmas Hampers for the needy, Homeless Shelter, animals at the zoo, clean water projects, etc. Don’t forget that we are a ‘Free The Children’ school and we have raised $5000 for a water well in Africa two years ago, and $10 000 for a school in Ghana last year. This year we have set a goal to raise $10 000 for the Year of Empowerment! I love helping the world! In my spare time, I have been writing mini stories about kids that we have helped. I hope to finish these soon. My Dad and I have also just started to read Spencer West’s book that he got from teachers convention after meeting him. Everyone can make a difference! Hi, it’s Peyton Lake. I am a Grade 7 student at Arbour Lake School. Last year, I was lucky enough to go to WE Day in Calgary and the Evening of Champions. In both events, I was inspired by everyone, but especially Spencer West and Amanda Lindhout. Hearing their stories, I thought that despite their circumstances, they managed to overcome these and still help others in need. I thought, if they can do this then I can help the world too.

Christmas came and I thought that I get so many gifts but others do not. I decided to find a way to give back. I thought of things I could do to help. My mom is a teacher (so is my dad) and her teaching partner’s niece, Megan, was going on a Free the Children trip to Ghana. She needed to raise $5000 dollars. I thought about this, $5000 dollars is a lot of money and I decided to donate some of my Christmas money to her. I got $100 dollars for her. I decided to find a way to make even more money by selling some of the rafiki bracelets that I already own. I had the water and education bracelets on and my mom’s friend had never heard of Free the Children, so I introduced her to it. She loved the idea so I gave her my water and education rafikis and she gave me $20 dollars. Now I had $120 dollars to give to Megan. Also, a couple of friends and I sold Rainbow Loom bracelets, headbands, and action figures that we made with our classmates. We raised more money to help Megan.

This past June, I shaved my head to raise money for cancer during our Shave-A-Lid campaign. At Arbour Lake School there were 5 teachers and about 30 students that also shaved their heads. We raised $20 000 for cancer research that day, and I raised $1 500 of that by myself!

At Arbour Lake School, I am a member of the school’s Coyote Spirit Committee. Throughout the year we focus on monthly initiatives in the community like fundraising for– Terry Fox Run, Veteran’s Food Bank, Christmas Hampers for the needy, Homeless Shelter, animals at the zoo, clean water projects, etc. Don’t forget that we are a ‘Free The Children’ school and we have raised $5000 for a water well in Africa two years ago, and $10 000 for a school in Ghana last year. This year we have set a goal to raise $10 000 for the Year of Empowerment! I love helping the world! In my spare time, I have been writing mini stories about kids that we have helped. I hope to finish these soon. My Dad and I have also just started to read Spencer West’s book that he got from teachers convention after meeting him. Everyone can make a difference!