Amazing what community spirit can accomplish

Submitted by
Ken Boshcoff M.P.

Last November, a group of students from Thunder Bay’s Sir Winston Churchill High School had the opportunity to attend a leadership presentation hosted by motivational speaker and philanthropist Ian Hill.
Throughout the course of the morning, Mr. Hill and the students discussed the challenges and opportunities that are facing the youth of the region and the benefits that come from being actively involved in your community. At the end of the session, Mr. Hill took three hundred dollars out of his pocket and challenged the students to use the money to do something to change the world.
The effects of this challenge and the three hundred dollars will be felt within our community for years to come. Using the base amount of money, the students began developing actions plans that capitalize on their unique skills and strengths to accomplish their goal of helping others. The students held a benefit at the Arthur St. Safeway in December called “Songs for Supper” where students performed throughout the day, raising five-hundred dollars and two truck loads of food items for the Shelter House and the Christmas Cheer Fund.
In the New Year, the students began a book drive and fundraisers within the school which culminated by sending nearly three thousand books to an urban school in the Jane-Finch community of Toronto and several thousand books to local schools to assist with literacy programs.
Mr. Hill was so impressed with the action and dedication of the students of Churchill that he took his challenge one step further by offering a grant through the “Let them be kids” foundation to build a playground in an area of need. The students and staff of Churchill partnered with the administration of McKellar Park School in a project that came to fruition on June 2nd after months of planning, preparation and hard work.
It was a thrill for me to join over 400 volunteers from the community who united at McKellar on June 2nd to build the play ground, landscape the school yard, revitalize the school entrance and provide activities for the 350 children who came out to the event. The playground was erected in honour of Pte. Josh Klukie, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2006.
The student organizers of this tremendous undertaking are the embodiment of “Trojan Power, Trojan Pride and Trojan Promise”. Their actions and the actions of all of those from the community who assisted with this event will be felt for a lifetime. It was an amazing experience for me to witness the community spirit that brought together young and old to erect this playground in honour of our fallen heroes.