Five years ago a local elementary school student decided to make a birthday wish; not a regular birthday wish that involved a toy or a special trip, but a wish to help others.
At the time it seemed like a lofty goal for such a young child but with great persistence the $1,000 goal became a reality.
Over the past five years money was saved from birthdays, the Tooth Fairy, Christmas, collecting bottles, completing odd jobs and selling firewood at garage sales.
As family and friends learned of this journey they were inspired to spread the word and help out however they could. Grandparents helped to collect bottles (including organizing a bottle drive on Hallowe’en night three years in a row), a local company donated all the bottles from their employee lunch room and an enthusiastic shopper at our garage sale purchased stacks of wood that our son prepared for sale.
In addition to raising money, he volunteered a couple of times at the Sylvan Lake Food Bank to help him understand the process of where the money would go to help others. In addition to supporting a valuable program, life lessons were learned in saving money, math skills and how important it is to support and help people in the local community.
Although this started out as one boy’s birthday wish it turned into a journey that will forever be a part of who he is as a person and a life experience he shared with so many people.
As you are reading this story you may notice his name is not mentioned; part of his wish was to remain anonymous because to him it wasn’t about being named or receiving recognition, it was more important to think of others needs and trying to make a difference.
As a family we would like to extend a very sincere “Thank You” to everyone who believed in our son’s dream and make a special mention to the following people: Gran and Grandad, Grandpa Murray, Paul, Cindy, Loreena, Rose and Pam (Sylvan Lake Food Bank)