The hard work of Winkler Elementary School’s Youth in Philanthropy (YIP) students resulted in a $942 donation to Central Station last week.
At a school assembly Friday, the Gr. 7-8 students presented the community centre’s Anita Wiebe with the funds, which they raised by organizing a bake sale in March.
“When we were deciding what projects we’d support this year, we had many organizations to choose from,” shared Gr. 7 student Mine Ugbarugba. “We decided to support Central Station because it helps families in our community who need extra support.”
Ugbarugba and fellow Gr. 7 student Zendaya Fehr share that they got involved in YIP because they wanted to do something to give back.
“I think Youth in Philanthropy is a pretty good thing to do,” Ugbarugba said. “You get to see things around Winkler and what people need for support.”
“I’ve always loved to help the community,” said Fehr. “I just love giving back to people in need, and I love to help people. This is a great opportunity for me.”
The sale raised $471, which was matched by the Winkler Community Foundation to bolster the final donation total. The kids also got the chance to volunteer at Central Station’s weekly community meal to learn more about the organization’s work.
The money will be used by Central Station to purchase an iPad and software that can be used by its various community programs.
It’s a great gift, especially coming from a group of dedicated and caring kids, said Anita Wiebe, executive director of Central Station.
“It’s been really neat to see kids who have either been connected to Central Station or who are learning about Central Station for the first time, that they see the value in the work that is being done in supporting the community,” she said. “For kids to start understanding philanthropy in Gr. 7, Gr. 8, that’s setting our community up for success long-term, understanding the value of supporting the community.”
