Youth in Philanthropy team at St. James Collegiate.
My experience with Youth in Philanthropy at St. James Collegiate this year was quite a contrast to the experience I had last year. This time around, I was far more involved as I was able to experience new things and I got to see what YiP was all about first hand.
The first event I played a part in, albeit a small one, (I say this because I was only involved in handing out flyers) was Halloween for Harvest where we collected canned food from our local community for Winnipeg Harvest.
Help Richard Beat Lyme Disease Campaign was the next “big” thing our committee became a part of. Together, we helped raise $280 by selling “boo bags” during Halloween and hosting a bake sale. The event was to help Richard Underwood, a young man who is living with Lyme disease and requires expensive treatment in the United States.
I was part of the site visits to Artists in Health Care and Manitoba Lung Association.
During our visit with Artists in Health Care we were able to talk to one of the musicians who shared his experiences with us. The one that struck me the most was when he told us about his encounter with a mother, who overcome with illness, requested he play, You Are my Sunshine to her children, a song that she would always sing to them.
Finally, the most humbling experience for our committee was the afternoon we spent at Oak Table Community Ministry, as part of our YiP in Action! grant. We served lunch and spent time with the guests which included men, women and children. It was truly a rewarding and learning experience.
All in all, St. James Collegiate’s YiP group has had a great 2015-2016 year.
