Rainbow Creek Students Raise Money for the Children’s Hospital

Being back in an elementary school gymnasium for a student assembly brought back many memories of my own children’s days at Conrich and later Prairie Waters Elementary. It was comforting to even see teachers still there who had guided and inspired my own children, and were continuing to bring along the newer generations.

Something that hadn’t been lost since my kids days were the recognition awards for emulating leadership in all its many forms, whether in individual ways such as empathy, compassion, taking initiative to help when not asked, enthusiasm, among others to a more community focused basis such as fundraising for local causes and charities.

At today’s assembly at Rainbow Creek Elementary School, two outstanding boys were recognized for their efforts to raise money for the Children’s Hospital. Liam Evans and Kegan Law presented a cheque to Jen Mclean of the Kids Helping Kids Foundation . This foundation which began in 2003 realized that teaching kids philanthropy can make them feel good about their actions and raise their self esteem. They see that their actions make a difference to the community and they want to do more.

What started initially as an endeavor between these two boys to do their own art and sell it, grew into a project in which all students were invited to create and submit their art for a school sale. Kegan’s father Adrian said, “They had hoped to make $60 by doing their own art. ”

As the project got underway the boys realized that more involvement from others brought greater rewards. This resulted in more donations and the gifts of connection and self esteem that teamwork brings. In the end sixty dollars grew to $590.28 and was topped by the school council bringing the total to $840.28. Not only were the parents supporting the sale, but the kids were buying art as well.

Giving back to the community is an old cliché, but it is still grassroots work for making a successful place to bring up family. Both families are models of this. Liam’s grandmother is Elaine Lorne who has served as president of the local art guild for the past ten years. Now both she and her husband Gordon are active participants in their grandchildren’s lives. Adrian and Tara Law believe in putting effort into fundraising through such activities as participating in the ALS Walk and Terry Fox Run.

In talking to Kegan and Liam’s teacher Kelly Chamberlain, I was impressed by the individual efforts of these dedicated professionals to incorporate successful habits of a “Leader in Me” mandate taught in this school.

At today’s assembly I heard the word “Synergy” sung by the Kindergarten class. Chamberlain explained to me that this is based on work by Steven Covey who you may know from his work, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Synergy envelops the concept that cooperative action of two or more people is more effective than that which would have been realized by just one person’s output. The effectiveness of the individual becomes enhanced, while each bringing their own uniqueness to the table.

Individual efforts move to the community level and in turn spread beyond. We all know the ripple effect. According to Kelly the success of the program is enhanced by the kids seeing close up and personal the hardships of adversity in their own school and amongst their peers, and how their own efforts can really make a difference to outcome.

Recently one of their teachers Ms. Dahl gave birth to premature twins who were born 4 months early. The baby boys are now home. The severity of the situation was felt deeply by the school community and obviously on these two young fellows as well. Liam told the assembly that “every child born too small should get a chance to survive. And thanks to the empathy, initiative, cooperation and caring of both Kegan and Liam and subsequently the school, that child will.