Girl Guides of Canada-Alberta

Annie B.
Dieppe, NB

Je propose ma candidature parce que je m’occupe vraiment bien des autres enfants qui ont des besoins spéciaux. Mon ami C, ses jambes ne fonctionnent pas bien, et il marche avec une marchette ou il est dans sa chaise roulante quand c’est trop difficile. Je l’ai rencontré 3 ans passés quand on se faisait garder par la même madame. Je m’occupais bien de lui et je jouais beaucoup avec lui à la garderie. La gardienne qu’il avait depuis 12 ans avait dit à ma maman qu’elle n’avait jamais vu une enfant interagir avec C de cette manière-là en 12 ans ! Il est devenu un de mes meilleurs amis et il a le plus beau sourire ! Je suis maintenant devenue amie avec sa famille aussi et on fait des activités ensemble comme aller patiner (il a un traîneau spécial pour patiner), il vient manger chez moi et nous allons au parc ensemble. J’aime beaucoup l’aider avec sa chaise roulante et lui préparer des repas spéciaux. Mon autre ami J a aussi des besoins spéciaux et presque personne ne veut jouer avec lui. Je m’amuse beaucoup avec lui et sa grand-mère m'invite des fois à aller chez elle quand elle le garde. Il demande souvent où je suis et si je vais aller le voir. Mes parents, mes gardiennes et les autres adultes disent que je suis une fille vraiment spéciale pour m’occuper des autres enfants et connecter avec les autres de cette façon. On dit que je crée un monde meilleur parce que j’ai beaucoup d’empathie et que je traite tous les enfants de la même manière. Mes parents ont appelé mon école pour mentionner que si des enfants qui ont des besoins spéciaux veulent passer du temps avec d’autres enfants, je suis disponible pour jouer avec eux.

Ariyana T.
Brampton, ON

I won the Conscience Award at school this year. I know the difference between right and wrong. Before doing anything, I always think about it first. I like to plant trees in the spring and fall. I have been planting trees every year with my family since I was born. It is good for the environment and the birds need it. I also know how important bees are.

Hannah G.
Edmonton, AB

My motto is to spread kindness to those around me. I like to do little acts of kindness and share little words of love. I am pleased to be a part of the Government of Canada’s “Warm Welcome” initiatives for immigrants and refugees through different local organizations. I made welcome home cards and delivered them personally to help migrant families and children adjust to their new community. I used the money I saved to buy school bags, paint, and books for these children. I have become very good friends with some of these children and am currently in contact with them. I am inviting my new friends to join Girl Guides. This way, they can make new friends and we can all have more fun with my Girl Guides unit.

Victoria L.
Edmonton, AB

Victoria is an empathetic person who cares deeply about others and the planet. She encourages her peers, and she is a good friend to everyone. She demonstrates change for the world in many ways as well. She is aware of and reduces her use of electricity. She picks up litter safely with a parent, she knows the importance of reducing plastic use and of healthy eating, and for short commute distances, she will ask to walk or bike rather than drive.

Adelaide M.
Edmonton, AB

I am a very active volunteer in my community. Since I started Sparks three years ago, I have made it my mission to make my world a better place. In the past few years, I have started a community cleanup and a “clean the ravine” project in my local park.

I am also involved in many community outreach projects as a junior leader with my church. Some of these projects include holding sock drives for the homeless, collecting women’s products for the women’s centre, holding used clothing drives for Youth Empowerment and Support Services, and assisting with food drives for the food bank. In addition, I help my mom deliver presents for Santas Anonymous each year, as it makes me feel special to see the look on people’s faces when we drop off the gifts. This encouraged me to donate my old toys and clothes to programs that help those in need.

I also compete in as many children’s fundraising runs for charity as I can, including RunWild in support of the Zebra Child and Youth Advocacy Centre and Run for Women supporting women’s mental health. Last year we raised over $600! My family is so proud of the girl I’m becoming thanks to Girl Guides.

Aubrey K.
London, ON

I am creating a better world by helping my community. I have done two neighbourhood cleanups and two donation stands this past year. Some of the things that I had to do for the neighbourhood cleanup included making posters, getting my friends to help , l and spreading the word. Cleaning up my neighbourhood helps animals and nature in my community by getting rid of garbage. It also gets our community together and makes it a better community.

For the charity stands, I had to make posters and food, set up the stands at the park, and explain what charities I was donating to. I have helped the David Suzuki Foundation and the London Humane Society by having lemonade and hot chocolate stands. Both are very good charities because they help our environment and the nature around us.

Iyah Z.
Mississauga, ON

Sometimes, I see people who don’t have a home and I feel very sad. I wish they could have a home like I do – a safe home with food and water. I really wanted to help them, but I was not sure how. I decided to make care packages filled with stuff they might need. My goal was to make more than 50! . I got water bottles, snacks, tissues, bandages, wet wipes, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and combs. I made a few packages and then invited five friends over. I showed them how to make a care package. Together, we made 60 packages! We even included a picture we coloured in each package so that each person would know kids think about them and care about them. It was my first time at a shelter but not my last. I believe my care packages will make a difference to a lot of people.

Simone H.
Edmonton, AB

I spent the last two years helping my parents care for my sick uhr oma (great grandmother). I learned how to help give her medicine and check her blood sugar, and I helped my mom when we had to call 911 by unlocking doors, putting cats away, and directing the paramedics when they arrived. During our time as her live-in caregivers, I also learned how to make some snacks, feed and give water to our cats, and feed the fish to help my parents out. I also learned a lot about medication, cancer, and diabetes. I helped keep my uhr oma calm when she got agitated by drawing, reading, or playing games with her.

While doing this, I also joined Embers and learned more about my community and world. I helped with food bank drives and helped collect donations for animal rescues in my community. I also (with my mom’s help) shoveled snow for neighbours and helped take care of family members’ cats, and helped keep their plants alive while they were away. I am starting to grow my own plants, including strawberry plants, to help grow our own food. I look forward to continuing to learn more and do more in my community.

Ananya S.
Vancouver, BC

I am very proud and happy to nominate my close friend, Ananya, for the Change Maker Award this year. She has a very helpful nature. She has helped me with math over the past year. She mentors younger classmates at her school in a mixed age group classroom (grades 4-6). She loves helping other girls at her Girl Guides unit and genuinely cares about their well-being.

She is passionate about helping people and animals in need. She organized a community origami project with a friend last summer to raise money for the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation. She has participated in several community events, such as the shoreline cleanup, the Mighty Minds program, the girls worldwide challenge, and the women in engineering program. She raises money for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank every year by organizing food bank drives during the Christmas season. She also loves animals. This year, she organized a used book sale to fundraise for the BC SPCA. Ananya strongly believes that she can make a difference in other people’s lives through her kindness and by raising awareness in her community. I truly believe that she is a change maker in her unit, school, and community.

Lulu J.
Vancouver, BC

I truly believe that no matter what small positive difference you make in someone’s life, any act of kindness toward any human is very important. I live by the motto “not for ourselves alone.” I have always loved helping and mentoring younger kids in my school and in my Girl Guide units. For the last three years, I have dedicated a recess each day to helping the kindergarteners in my school build friendships and teaching them how to handle conflicts. I also take injured students to the office, administer basic first aid, and comfort them. . This year, I started a reading program in the kindergarten community where I read books to a group of students and then lead a discussion about the morals and values they could learn from each story.

In my building, there are many senior neighbours who are dear to my heart. I have been providing assistance to them by accompanying them to the market, helping them clean their apartments, reading and discussing books with them, and gardening with them. I have been an active member in the preteen youth leadership program in my area and helped organize some of the activities for BC Youth Week that was organized by the University Neighbourhoods Association in the University of British Columbia (UBC) area. I organized a movie night fundraiser for animal welfare and rescue organizations and volunteered to run the UBC Tough Toddler event on campus. I have raised $5,000 to provide books and meals to the Chunati Hakimia girls school in Chittagong, Bangladesh, for the underprivileged girls in this school community. I have a dream to become a pediatrician in the future and serve communities in Canada and Bangladesh.

Savannah C.
Spruce Grove, AB

Since I was a little girl, I’ve always wanted to help others. At the age of five, I was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, uveitis, and glaucoma. Learning to live with this condition has been difficult and different. Many days I struggle with pain, mental health problems, and fatigue. However, I made a promise to myself to not let this condition get in my way or cause me to give up. Who am I? I am a philanthropist, entrepreneur in the making, and a girl with big aspirations and a huge heart. I’ve successfully raised enough money through fundraising to purchase 30 tablets for iKare4Kids, a local non-profit organization. I know first-hand what it’s like being in hospitals, and it’s not fun. My brother has had month-long stays. So, knowing I’m making a difference in a child’s life makes me feel great! I also raised money for the Edmonton Burn Unit with my brother, who is a burn survivor and for the Stollery Children’s hospital in Edmonton.

This past year, I’ve been trying to launch my own business, Readventurekids, and YouTube channel to help other children who struggle with reading the way I did because of my eye diseases. It’s been a slow start because I’ve been very ill the past few months, but my dream is to be able to start my own non-profit to help kids like me. I believe everyone can make a difference no matter what they are going through.

Sofia S.
Montreal, QC

I would like to nominate Sofia as a Change Maker. By speaking to the school administration, Sofia got permission to start a campaign in her school to challenge kids to think about how they treat others. She created posters with stories of people she knows, with information about neurodiversity, being excluded, and about how consideration and small kindness can have a big impact on other people. Also, Sofia always makes an effort to say hi to or chat with other kids, even those who aren’t her friends, especially on break or on a school trip when she notices they are alone or left out. Sofia notices how difficult it is to be different from other kids and wants to teach others to just accept that some people have different abilities, and that’s okay.

Anna B.
North Delta, BC

I am a first-year Pathfinder. I have been participating in Girl Guides since I was a first-year Spark. I chose to make a difference in many girls’ lives when my sister became a Spark. I was a Guide at the time, and I was given the opportunity to help in her unit. I am at every meeting, helping with tasks such as watching Sparks on the playground, planning and leading games and crafts, and helping the Guiders wherever needed. Reflecting on my experiences so far, the most rewarding part has been helping girls who are new to Guiding. There was a brand-new Spark who entered her first meeting shy and timid. I’d often sit with her and spend lots of time supporting her and encouraging her to participate during meetings. I reassured her that the other girls wanted her to join and let her know that she was a very fascinating kid. Over time, she began participating more and more. By June, she was more confident and sometimes even had the courage to lead a game or activity. I know it was just one year out of her life, and I was just one person who told her she had a place in Guiding, but it had a lasting effect on me and taught me lessons in how to connect with others better. I have now been a Junior Leader for three years, and I look forward to many more years of supporting youth in my community as I strive to become a Guider and maybe a teacher one day.

Chloe S.
Newtonville, ON

Chloe is an incredibly thoughtful girl who always strives to help others. For the past several years, she has put on annual food drives to help support her community through a local food bank. Chloe put so much of her own time and effort into making these drives happen, asking others for donations but primarily doing the work herself. She created and distributed flyers, asked friends and family for donations while also knocking on doors to garner support, and distributed the goods to the food bank, which she has also volunteered at.

Chloe constantly volunteers for events and throughout her community, helping however she is needed most. For example, when Chloe was volunteering at a food bank, she helped the other volunteers by showing them where items went while stocking shelves, despite having only been there once before herself. Chloe is a remarkably passionate young leader who always endeavoursto improve the lives of others by putting their needs above her own.

Danica M.
Dutton, ON

I create a better world by volunteering and giving back locally in my community, across Ontario, and around the world. I volunteer as a Junior Leader with a few different Spark and Ember units. I am also on my student council and volunteer in my school as an office helper, a library assistant, and a lunch helper with the younger students. Before COVID-19 restrictions came into place, I would visit elderly care homes to read to residents or play musical instruments for them and, at Christmas time, to sing carols. During the lockdowns, I met online with a child who was being treated for cancer to help him with his schoolwork and as a reading buddy. When I learned how to knit, I donated over 40 hats to include in care packages for premature babies at the hospital. I have also helped prepare and serve food atmy church, and at educational events such as Breakfast on the Farm. Growing up on a farm, I have given many tours of our farm, and I volunteer every year at the farm education booth at shows like the Western Fair in London and the Canadian National Exhibition and the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto. I also volunteered at an orphanage in Africa when I was seven, and I now give a presentation at my school each year for their Me to We program to help motivate the students to consider the many ways they can help others in the world.
I believe there are many ways to make the world a better place, and I will always do my best to not only make it a better place but also inspire others to do the same.

Taylor de H.
Cornwall, ON

I am a first-year Pathfinder, and I have been in Guiding since Sparks. I think making change is important for a better world. I am the grade 7 representative on my school council because it helps with my leadership skills, and you can’t change things without strong leadership. Over the years, I have helped improve the environment, the community, and health research.Each year, I clean up roadside garbage by volunteering for PITCH-IN Canada and Ocean Wise Shoreline Cleanups. In our community, I have volunteered for the Optimist Club’s breakfast with Santa. I served breakfast food, and Santa was there so the children could take photos with him. Serving breakfast really brought joy to people and showed that even small community events can make a big change. I have type 1 diabetes, and I have participated in a lot of clinical trials for diabetes research. Also, a big project that I have organized is a fundraiser for Diabetes Canada so they can find a cure for diabetes. Finding a cure for diabetes would be a huge change for everybody with and even without diabetes. I organize an annual Walk Run Roll event and created a website to spread awareness about diabetes and to raise money. Over the past two years, I have raised over $3,500! I received a certificate of appreciation from Diabetes Canada for my fundraiser and was interviewed for our local newspaper. I will continue to help the world around me and make changes so that all our futures will be brighter!

Annalea P-S.
Carbonear, NL

I applied for a $500 grant through the Atlantic Council for International Cooperation and Global Affairs Canada to establish a Free Pantry Project for the BIPOC youth community. I also applied for the School Health Grant for Youth via the Public Health Agency of Canada and received $3,500 to get ASIST suicide prevention training, naloxone training, and an introduction to swords course from Terra Nova School of Swords into our student body. I am on the RCMP National Youth Advisory Committee and participate in the Canada We Want Conference via the Student Commission of Canada. I am also involved with the Cannabis Health Evaluation Research Partnership youth advisory committee that is run through Memorial University to understand and assist with policy development surrounding marijuana.

I have also participated in Queer Expressions of Art through Pride/Swell and the University of New Brunswick. I have participated in many other committees and conferences as well, and I am a youth leader for STEMforGIRLS. I am the deputy chair for Girl Guides of Canada’s Newfoundland and Labrador provincial youth forum. I have learned so much and give back voluntarily in any way that I can.

I am trying to make the world a better place by having uncomfortable dialogues, asking for help, advocating and being an ally, and not ignoring problems nor invalidating concerns. I try to find or create opportunities for social change, and I hope to help others find their niche.

Bella C.
Toronto, ON

I have been in Girl Guides for eight years and have helped run 16 successful cookie rallies. I have earned the Canada Cord and am working toward the Trailblazer Leadership Award. I am doing work in my school community as well. As a member of the Eco Team, I helped my school earn an EcoSchools Gold Certification for the fifth year in a row, I co-organized a Health and Wellness Day as part of Safe Schools, and I raised money for Egale by running a bake sale with Gender and Sexuality Alliance.

On top of this, I am a top four finalist for the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative at my school, which allows students to give a $5,000 grant to an organization in their community. Through this initiative, I’ve raised awareness for Planned Parenthood Toronto and their work, and I hope to win for them.

Last year I organized celebrations for Autism Acceptance Month at my school. I gave announcements and created posts for my school’s social media. I also made 120 pins and raised $240 for the Autism Self Advocacy Network. Last year, I was a member of the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) 2SLGBTQI+ Student Advisory Committee and the TCDSB We Belong Conference Planning Committee, where I worked collaboratively to create a conference for autistic students in the TCDSB. I am also currently a member of the TCDSB Catholic Student Leadership Impact Team Equity Subcommittee. My work is not done, and I plan to do even more volunteer work in my school community and in Guiding.

Janae L.
Markham, ON

I am submitting a nomination because I strive every day to make the world a better place. I am currently a youth activist as part of Black York Region Youth. However, I started my activism journey long before that in grade 8 when I planned a Christmas toy drive for underprivileged children. After the successful toy drive, I planned a Black History Month assembly and created a video on anti-Black racism on behalf of the York Region District School Board. As a result, at grade 8 graduation, I earned the Principal’s Award for Student Leadership!
I volunteer at the Markham Sports Dome and the Boys and Girls Club (BGC) East Scarborough. Additionally, my mentor from BGC assisted me in applying for a $1,500 grant for a community project. We earned the grant and used the money to create an event for youth to learn about the joys of film photography. We provided each youth with transportation to the Distillery District, food, and cameras. The event was a huge success!

Taylor H.
Reserve Mines, NS

Taylor never hesitates to take on the leadership role to keep everyone involved in the activities of the day. Taylor has used her position in the 2SLGBTQI+ society to educate and make sure that every child feels welcomed and included. To date, she has raised close to $7,500 for local charities including Caleb’s Courage and the Christmas Crew. During COVID-19, she rallied her friends and sold personalized bears to help raise money for underprivileged children and families affected by financial hardship due to the pandemic.

Taylor is a Junior Leader for our Spark and Ember group and has taken all the training to become a Guider and to better help lead meetings. She expresses her extensive leadership skills in all aspects of Guiding from planning meetings and camps to stepping up to being the youth voice for the committee for the camp in May.

In addition to her role in Guiding, she has undertaken being a young entrepreneur by taking crafting to a whole new level and turning it into a business. Her compassion knows no bounds – even in business. The profits from her personalized items have been donated to our trip fundraiser. I cannot say enough amazing things about Taylor – she truly will change the world some day!

Lyla Harris
South River, NL 

One of my favourite things to do is to go for "trash" walks where we take gloves and garbage bags and pick up trash in different places where we live. Our world is only as good as we treat it. I know I can't pick up all the trash in the world, but small steps make big differences, so I encourage my friends to do the same. I plan to do more, like plant trees and wildflower gardens to help the bees. Thank you for your time. 

Mila Assion-Nielsen
Langley, BC 

Mila helps me be calm and she is a good friend when I'm hurt.

Grace Patterson
Timber-lea, NS 

Grace planned and executed a virtual Great Big Crunch event at her school where all 400 students crunched into a locally sourced apple to encourage local and healthy eating and living. 

Grace, along with her teacher, surprised her school by having their Medical Officer of Health, Dr.Robert Strang crunch an apple too! Grace wrote a speech about eating healthy and read that to the school prior to a great big countdown. 

This event was the first of its kind at her school and the first event the school completed “together”, even though they were apart due to COVID. It was a moment of togetherness over the theme of healthy living. 

This ignited a spark of creating opportunities for healthy living that Grace hopes to continue to explore. 

Lina Boudoumi
Chateauguay, QC 

Dans mes livres, je délivre mes secrets aux enfants pour être des Supers Champions… à la maison, à l’école ou encore à la garderie! 

Je parle de sujets d’actualité, comme l’intimidation et l’affirmation de soi. Par exemples, je donne des conseils aux enfants pour trouver des solutions en cas de chicanes, j’explique pourquoi c’est bien d’être une meilleure personne, etc. 

J’ai participé à la grande journée des petits entrepreneurs en 2019, suite à cette première apparition, j’ai pu participer au réaménagement de la cour de mon école en remettant la moitié de ma recette à la direction. La directrice générale de mon école m’a remis une lettre de félicitations pour ma bonne action. 

Pour cette année, je me suis déjà inscrite à cet événement et je compte accorder 50% de mon bénéfice à l’achat de livres que je remettrai à la bibliothèque de mon école. 

Katherine Michaud
Calgary, AB 

I’m making a difference in my school by starting a school garden. In Sparks I did a project about ‘making a difference in the world’. My project was about saving bees. I continued to work on my idea to have a school garden and created a Google Slides presentation. This year I shared my ideas with my class, the grade 2s, my principal, and the parent council. The garden was approved! This spring the pollinator garden will be planted! We are going to have a garden club to take care of everything and plant lots of plants. I am very happy that an idea I had in Sparks is going to make a difference in my school and the neighbourhood where I live. 

Annelise Creech
Toronto, ON 

My sister was inspired by the book Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Immigrant Women Who Changed the World. She loves to read this book every night before bed. This past year, her class spoke about the 215 children at a residential school in BC. Annelise wanted to do something to show her support. She asked Mom to go to a beach to paint 215 rocks inspired by this to create awareness about the issues in residential schools. Annelise then took it upon herself to present this at her online class and share it with friends across the city. Many kids in her class and in the city also painted rocks in support and sent her pictures to show the impact of what she has done to raise awareness for Every Child Matters. She is inspiring others to change the world just like the women in her bedtime story! 

Presley Leger-Bryson 
York, PE  

I love animals, my community and making a difference anywhere I can. 

I participate in roadside cleanups with our local Women's Institute and help my mom organize shoreline cleanups in my community through the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup.  

I am a Butterfly Ranger with the David Suzuki foundation and I have planted some flowers and bushes in my yard that attract butterflies and help them pollinate.  

One of my favourite things to do in November every year is to pack Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes for kids around the world who don't have the things I have and right now I am making birthday boxes to donate to the food bank.

Madeline Somers 
Winnipeg, MB  

Over the last two years, I’ve made a difference in my community by being a volunteer for Harvest, an organization that collects and distributes food for people in my province that need help to feed themselves and their families.  

I have also collected fabric and learned how to make reusable sanitary napkins which I donate to Samaritan’s Purse Canada, an organization that gives shoeboxes of supplies to kids in other countries at Christmas. I started making these sanitary napkins because I learned that they are a good way to reduce the use of plastics going into our landfills, and they are also something that every girl needs. By sending reusable sanitary napkins to girls, they don’t have to stay at home, and they can go to school and learn just like me. 

Everyone can have an impact on the world if you really believe in something and put your mind to it. 

Ellie Dyer 
Strathroy, ON  

Last Christmas, I helped seniors in my community who didn’t get to see their families at Christmas due to COVID-19. I wanted to raise enough money to buy two baskets that were $35 each at the pharmacy in our town. I collected donations and did a bottle drive and was able to raise over $900 to buy 27 baskets for seniors to help them smile at Christmas. I was happy to deliver my donation and know that I helped so many people!  

Katie Magee
Brantford, ON 

I care about the animals and want to support a great cause any way I can. Every year for my birthday I ask for donations that will be given to animal rescues like the SPCA and DIBS (Dogs in Better Spots). 

Last December I made and sold ceramic Christmas ornaments and dog bandanas to raise money for these rescues and raised over $100. By starting earlier this year I hope to make more bandanas and ornaments to sell. 

Right now, I am also organizing a cupcake fundraiser at my school that will take place next month to raise more money for these rescues. 

Sia Sidhu
Surrey, BC

For more than half of my life, I have been raising money for BC Children’s Hospital, with close to $55,000 already collected for hospital units there. I started on my fundraising journey as a six-year-old. Over the years, I have conducted annual fundraisers and sold lemonade, Popsicles, sundaes, hot dogs, burgers, and two years of raffle tickets during the pandemic from my home. Each year, I pick a different department at BC Children’s Hospital and give all funds raised to them. I have impacted many departments, such as the cancer ward, the pediatric intensive care unit, and research and development.  
 
Last year, Sia's 7th Annual Virtual Fundraiser raised close to $21,000 for the hospital’s oncology department. In 2020, Sia’s Burger Shack fundraiser resulted in Sia becoming the youngest of Surrey’s Top 25 Under 25 award winners. My goal every year is to help as many children as possible that are in medical distress. 

Payton Carroll
Saskatoon, SK 

Payton is dedicated and a hard worker and she volunteers for everything she can.  

She volunteers for the SCAT rescue and at the local PetSmart. She volunteered to rake leaves and pinecones at the Forestry Farm here in Saskatoon- to help feed the animals throughout the winter.  

She volunteered for the Children's Hospital Foundation, packing Christmas gifts for the doctors, nurses and staff. At her school, she does patrol and sells milk at lunch to the students in her school. She has been helping with an Ember unit in our district. Payton is always helping others and is wanting to do more. She is a very nice person, and she usually doesn't talk about herself. She is very humble. She helps her younger sisters a lot, and one of them has special needs. She is always friendly and kind to others. 

Hailey Burns
Hammonds Plains, NS 

Since being back to school in January the breakfast program had not been happening. As you know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and a full stomach helps students focus. With COVID, many students did not have food security at home and relied on this program. I was trying to help my teacher and other students to figure out a solution to this problem. I sat down one night with my parents and wrote letters to our Premier, MLA, School Board Regional Executive Director, and the Chief Medical Officer of Health pleading with them to help me get this program up and running. It worked and an immediate solution was put in place. My voice was heard. The school was contacted the next day and the breakfast program was allowed to run again! 

Kavya Kariamal 
Edmonton, AB 

Kavya has demonstrated a strong desire to change the community around her positively. At seven years old, she and her sister started a lemonade stand together to raise money for the Stollery Children’s Hospital, and they continue to host the lemonade stand annually.   
 
Kavya volunteered at the Edmonton Food Bank, Edmonton Humane Society, and CapitalCare, where she helped impaired senior citizens and worked towards her life-long goal of owning, and working at, her own clinic.   
 
With the help of Junior Achievement, Kavya started a business to better women's safety and mental health with a portion of the earnings donated to charity. As part of the Edmonton Youth Council, Kavya is working on an initiative to help create awareness of sexual violence.   
 
Apart from this, Kavya has participated in neighborhood cleanups and planted trees in her community. Kavya is working towards inspiring other young children to take action and create a better future. 

Charlotte Oleksyn 
Vancouver, BC 

Charlotte has always impressed me greatly with her volunteering, youth work, and positive personality. She has been a member of her high school's student council for three years and the Vancouver District Student Council (VDSC). While on the VDSC, she helped organize a district wide food drive for the food bank, as well as an art exhibition for Vancouver student artists to showcase their work. The food drive was very successful with over 25,000 cans donated.  

She is  involved in her school's Environmental Green Club and Service Club. This year she adopted 14 local catch basins and regularly cleans them, making her community safer for pedestrians and cyclists. 

She is a triathlon coach and will use her National Lifeguard, swim instructor, and Standard First Aid certifications at GGC Camp Olave, in her role as camp lifeguard and counsellor. She will help empower young Guides by being very hard working, motivated and kind.  

Grace Ott
Toronto, ON

Over the years, I have become much more confident, and this confidence has allowed me to do a great many things to help myself and other people.  
 
I am currently a Ranger and very involved with clubs at my school. At school, I am a leader in the volunteering club and help other students earn their volunteer hours.  
 
I have been making lip balm and selling it – it is called "Grace's Amazing Lip Balm." The net proceeds have been sent to Guatemala to help the people who have been suffering from volcanos and now COVID-19. I have been able to send $6,000. My next goal is to help support a new surgical clinic. My lip balm is currently being used all over the world, including in Saudi Arabia, India, and Europe!  
 
I hope I can encourage other people to do things and help the world be a better place. 

Aryana Mehrkhodavandi
North Vancouver, BC

I have supported my community through local volunteering activities at the Sunrise Lynn Valley Senior home. I am also part of the Teen Advisory Council at the North Vancouver Library, where I help make decisions that positively impact local youth.  

I’m a proud student and give back to my community by tutoring others who come from low-income families. I am a member of my school’s student council, and I am also the president of the Best Buddies Club, where our objective is to help make kids with special needs feel safe and included. I am also part of the National Youth Council for Girl Guides, where we learn about social inclusion and discuss other social issues.  

Lastly, as a Wildlife Ambassador, I clean up our local environment by removing invasive species and promoting the issue with locals. I want to do my part to help ensure everyone is feeling safe and loved. 

Charlize Davis
Maple Ridge, BC

I’ve done many shoreline and park cleanups, and I was also head of the recycling team for Earth Day 2020. I have also volunteered at senior homes and find it extremely rewarding – seeing the joy that just sitting down and making a craft with them brings to their faces is amazing.   
 
Outside of Guiding, I’m the charity liaison for my school’s student council and I teach kickboxing classes. My dad and I run a women's self-defense course where all proceeds go to a local woman's charity called Cythera House, which is a safe home for women and children to get away from abuse, homelessness, and other bad situations. I will always continue to help people, and that is one of the main reasons I fell in love with Guiding.

Autumn
Winnipeg, MB

Autumn let me look at her books and feel them. That was nice. She smiles. She shared two books with me.

Emery
Provost, AB

Emery has been such an amazing friend. We recently moved to Provost where I became a new Spark in a small town where I knew nobody. Emery has been so nice and she’s there for me when I need a friend.

Malina
Edmonton, AB

I love to keep the world clean. I always pick up trash when I see it and I encourage others to do the same. I also love to help my friends at school. I go to a special speech therapy school. When I am in therapy and my friends are having trouble saying their words, I will always tell them that they can do it and I am here for them. I encourage them to try and say the word again. When there is a new child at my school, I am the first one to hold their hand and play with them on the playground so they don't feel so nervous. I know I was nervous on my first day and another girl helped me. I am also learning sign language because there are a lot of friends at my school who can't hear. I want to be able to communicate with them. I feel sad when someone does not have a friend to play with and I always include them in my play.

Nettle
Truro, NS

I like people and plants. I make encouragement cards and treats for librarians and people in my community regularly; deliver cookies to people working in 24/h gas stations on Christmas Eve; give high-fives, hugs, and cards to gas station attendants; I really liked making a “baby box” (things needed for a baby) and giving it to an organization that helps families with babies. During spring, summer, and fall, I help tend to plants in the greenway to help prevent flooding when it rains and give greenery to our neighbourhood; help carry gray water jugs for my granny as we water our and our neighbour’s garden twice a day; and pick up sticks after wind storms. My dream better world is made of sweets but my real better world has a lot less garbage.

Alyssa
Penticton, BC

Alyssa has been doing a “Guess That Bead” competition at school and has raised $81 so far for equipment at the hospital.

Madeline
Winnipeg, MB

I change the world by raising awareness about poverty and homelessness and how we can make a difference in the lives of others by doing things to help them. I volunteer my time at organizations in my city that collect, sort, and give food and clothing to families and people that need them. I also tell my friends, family and community about poverty here in Canada and in other countries across the world, where there are a lot of people who need our help just to survive. Everyone needs and deserves the same things like food, clothing, a safe place to live, and education, but poverty can stop people from getting these basic things, which I think is unfair. Last fall, just by talking to people and putting up posters, I collected 70 shoeboxes of things like soap, toothbrushes and school supplies, which I took to an organization who distributed them to kids in Congo and Nigeria. I also collected boxes of things for moms and kids who stay at a homeless shelter in our city, and I collected a whole carload of toys from my friends, community, and family for the Christmas Cheer Board, who give toys to kids at Christmas! I change the way people think about each other, the world, and poverty, by showing others that anyone, even kids like me, can bring happiness and make a difference in the lives of others by being generous and caring, and treating everyone as equals. Together we can reduce poverty by sharing what we have and helping each other. The world will be a better place if we care for each other and treat each other with respect and kindness.

Ryleigh
Tara, ON

Every year I ask my friends to make donations instead of bring gifts to my birthday parties. I donated almost 100 pounds of food to my local food bank one year, donated a van full of dog and cat food to a nearby animal shelter and also raised money for a donation of books to my school library. I asked my mum and dad for a little outdoor library for our front yard and have collected books for it and am the keeper of it so my friends can enjoy reading as much as me. I am on the Green Team (recycling program) at school and have done community clean ups around my neighbourhood. I help smaller skaters during practice times for SkateTara. I try to be the best me and friend I can be.

Xyra
Moose Jaw, SK

She is polite and kind and cares about all animals. Xyra volunteers with her mom for Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Saskatchewan and cares for all animals. She wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up.

Alexandra
Nanaimo, BC

At school, I try to help and talk to the kids with less friends and help them make new ones. In grade four, with help from my friend Kayla, I created the Human Rights Club. It's been running strong for three years now, raising almost $2,000, with 35 members. Our largest accomplishments include: a bake sale, raising over $500, an entrepreneurship fair to spread awareness for Orange Shirt Day ($350), and a clothing drive that gave over 400 items to those in need. We also hold weekly meetings that I organize and run. By myself, I have created a petition against the Indian Act, raised over $700 for my local SPCA, $300 for Me to We, and keep in great touch with my pen pal in Honduras. In addition, I have participated in multiple fundraisers provided by my community, such as Cards for the Homeless (school) and Lunches with Love (Guides). My friends and I may be kids, but I've been helping out long enough to know that even the smallest acts of kindness can make a big difference.

Charlee
Campbell River, BC

I have known Charlee since Kindergarten and we are now in Grade 4. We are best friends and attend Girl Guides together. She is the reason I am a Guide as she knows me and knew how much I would love the program. Charlee loves all animals and helps care for our environment and our community, which is a big part of her and her family's lives. As an example, Charlee is a part of a local group called “Greenways”. Greenways takes care of waterways. Charlee is known in this group as a “Stream Keeper.” She does things like stream walks to make sure everything is flowing like it should, salmon counts and intakes which includes working with our local hatchery. Charlee goes to volunteer meetings with her dad. Charlee was recently recognized by our mayor as a result of her ongoing efforts as a Stream Keeper in our community of Campbell River, BC, known as the “Salmon Capital of the World”. I feel my best friend and fellow Guide Charlee should be recognized because she not only helps the environment but also our community with keeping water flowing freely. Charlee is also very knowledgeable and often shares valuable information with her friends and classmates. I am lucky to know Charlee and feel she should receive this award.

Clara
Merrickville, ON

I am nominating Clara for the Change Maker award because she is very generous with her time and the people around her. She has done a lot of community service work including making valentines for veterans, donating to the local food bank, made gift bags with essentials for an abused women’s shelter, ran a book and toy drive for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, and most recently sewed 45 comfort cushions for the breast cancer ward at the Ottawa General Hospital. She also competed in the Equestrian Bronze circuit, qualified for the regional championships and at the end of the year received the sportsmanship award. At the end of the day what Clara’s favourite thing to do is make someone’s day, even if she doesn’t know them, that little bit brighter.

Sia
Surrey, BC

From the age of 6, I have been running an annual fundraiser. In the summer of 2015, I came up with the idea of hosting a Lemonade Stand for Charity. With help of family and friends I was able to raise $300 in three hours by selling lemonade and home-made goodies for the Charity (DeltaView Life Enrichment Centre). Since then I have held annual charity events because I want to help sick children and adults. I use my own savings to make posters, flyers and buy balloons. I reach out to each organization and ask for donations. So far, I have hosted Sia's Lemonade Stand ($300), Sia's Ice Cream Shop ($1020), Sia's Sundae Bar ($1700), Sia's Galaxy HotDog Stand ($5000), and recently Sia's Burger Shack ($9200). All funds raised go back to Children's Hospital. Last year was my 5th year and I hosted Sia's Burger Shack. For the 4th year in a row, I joined hands with Save-On-Foods as my main food sponsor and donated all funds back to Children's Hospital (Neuromuscular Disease Department). Companies such as EW Group joined hands with me by giving generously. Recently, many organizations such as BC Lions, Vancouver Canucks, Vancouver Giants, and much more donated prizes to make my event successful. To celebrate my 5th year, I also put together a raffle trip package to Whistler. All proceeds went to Children's Hospital. These acts of kindness make me extremely happy when I'm able to provide support to those in medical distress.

Alexandria
Richmond, BC

I'm nominating Alexandria because she has been creating a better world through kindness despite any challenges she has faced. Through her years in Guiding, Alexandria has always been a happy and exuberant part of any unit she has been in since Sparks. She is helpful and kind to everyone even when no one else is looking, often offering the leaders help before being asked. She won her community humanitarian award for spending her lunch breaks with elementary students who needed a friend or had special needs and were not able to play with their peers. She's been previously chosen as a DARE speaker and has achieved all of these things despite her ADHD and dyslexia and sometimes poor health. She never complains about her challenges, just quietly works harder through things. This year she is a unit helper in Sparks and “Guider Sprinkles” is a girl favourite because she’s always ready to jump in to help, lead, do bathroom runs with girls or give hugs. She has logged hundreds of community service hours while not looking for any recognition, she has always just been happy to help others. I think Alexandria is an excellent example of a change maker because she has been quietly spreading her kindness and always chooses the path of kindness even when it hasn't been the easiest or most convenient to follow.

Anna-Klara
Edmonton, AB

I have been doing Girl Guides since I was a Spark and I've had many amazing experiences and made many great memories! One of my favourite memories is Sea to Sky summer camp at Cold Lake where I completed the Bronze Star Lifesaving Course and received the award for 'best fire starter.' In my three years of Guides, I earned 39 badges from different program areas. Three years ago I started volunteering at Kids On Track Organization, helping set up and serving food at family fun nights and special celebrations. In grade one, I started having fundraiser birthdays for the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation. Since then my friends and I have raised about one thousand dollars. My dream is to be a doctor and this is the first step to helping sick children. School is also very important to me and that is why receiving the Outstanding Achievement award, at the end of grade 6, meant a lot to me. In grade one, one of my classmates had little English knowledge and my teacher assigned me to help him with our studies, since then I've been considered a person who can help the other kids who are struggling. After school, I go straight to figure skating to achieve my goal of going to the Olympics. If I don't get into the Olympics as an athlete I will go as a volunteer. I have volunteered with my home club and at the national level 'Challenge Competition'. I enjoy my life and always try to make people around me happy.

Jessica
Toronto, ON

I am nominating myself because I am committed to helping the environment and others. Two years ago, I started the Eco Club at my school. Since then, I have done many things: I organized a dead marker and battery drive and collected over 3000 markers, and 1000 batteries. I was the one who brought Earth Rangers to my school to teach kids about conservation. I helped organize and participate in clean-ups. I work closely with my school’s principal to monitor electricity and waste. I also participate in service and volunteer projects in Guiding, school, and my community. I’m a Girl Assistant with an Ember unit, and I love planning activities for them! I’ve also made milk bag mats with them. At school, I always volunteer to help with carnivals, winter spirit day, and cultural night. I am always the one people ask when they need help or a hand. With student council, we sold Valentine loot bags, and all the money raised went to Sick Kids. As well, during my school’s Remembrance Day ceremony, I was the one representing Girl Guides. I had to make a speech and say a prayer for the veteran that came. I’ve also done many service projects: TD tree days (where I planted over 50 trees!), Operation Christmas Child, and the Terry Fox Run. Last summer, I volunteered as a Junior Camp Counsellor, and I help out with my city’s Canada Day Parade. I also did a 5 km walk with my school to feed the homeless. I give my time to tutor a child who is really struggling in school. I believe I am making a change at home, school, in my community, Guiding and the environment.

Kyrsten
Bay Bulls, NL

Everybody wants to be loved, recognized, valued and appreciated. Kyrsten knows the importance to be a good friend, a positive attitude, volunteering in the community and value its citizens. She is always looking for new service projects or ones that she can get involved in. She volunteers with the local Girl Guide unit every week and looks forward to planning and teaching them something new. She has such great leadership qualities. I think her biggest quality is her heart and how much she values people. It doesn’t matter if you are her closest friend or a stranger on the street, she has this way of being in tune with how they are feeling, and she wants to make it better. She wants everyone to feel good about themselves and feel like they matter and to let them know that someone cares how their day is going and thinks that they are important and valued. At Christmas time she made about 60 little snowmen ornaments that were super cute, and she gave them out to everyone one she knew, teachers, janitors, friends, family, and people in the community. She loved how she feels by making other people feel good and I think over time it has just become her thing. For Valentine’s Day she made 70 origami hearts that opened, and she placed little chocolates and notes inside them. For Easter, she already has lip balm made that is strawberry scented and beautiful Easter eggs with chocolates inside to hand out. Kyrsten so deserves the Change Maker Award because she has touched so many peoples’ lives. She is what we all strive to be, a really good person with a super big heart that truly cares about everyone’s well-being. She promotes inclusion and spreads excitement and happiness of the Guiding movement.

Alyssa
Brooklin, ON

I think it would be understating her passion to say she could change the world because Alyssa is a true role model who WILL change the world one day. She's an advocate for climate change and the environment and is continually spreading awareness for this cause. She co-founded both a local chapter of Fridays for Future and Sustainability Durham, which has organized and led shoreline clean ups, clothing swaps, and even more in our local community. Alyssa really stands out in our unit. She has the motivation and drive to inspire others to make a difference in our world. She's been an active leader within our unit with women in politics, helping to explain and lead the future voters challenge in fun and easy ways. She firmly believes we need to give a voice to ourselves and is an inspiring advocate to help us understand why we can make a difference by voting or showing how we can support our local candidates if we aren't old enough to cast an actual vote yet. I honestly think that everyone could be a little more like Alyssa. She takes pride in saving our environment, and the ground we walk on. She pays more attention to the harmful actions she can cut out of her lifestyle such as eating meat and eliminating single use plastics, that most of us don't give a thought about. She genuinely cares about the causes she takes part in, not to make it look good on an essay, or an application; but because it's what she believes in. Alyssa continually works hard to make an impact through her own actions and getting her message out.

Ella
Port Moody, BC

Growing up as an introverted female immigrant, I was led to think that I could never be a leader in my own actions. However, through community involvement, where I could help others going through the same struggles as mine, I realized that what I perceived as a weakness has a full potential to make a change in the society. With this realization, I have been actively contributing towards my community. At school, I currently run and facilitate the 'Kodiak Konversations Club', whose main goal is to help English as an Additional Language (EAL) students gain confidence in communicating in English through various activities. As a head executive, I feel devoted to this club as I have experience being an EAL student myself and thus I understand their hardships and the importance of providing assistance for them. Another project I initiated targeted a larger population of students; students struggling to plan for their future after graduation. I was also one of them, as I had felt clueless in terms of career choices as I ascended to my senior years of high school. Hence, in grade 11, I took on my own project to address such issues. Named the Pathfinder Project, it consisted of interviewing people with different careers in our community and sharing those contents on a website I generated for the students to view. Lastly, over the 10 years I spent with Girl Guides, I have been developing a wide view of the world with numerous volunteering experiences I shared with my unit. The hours I devoted towards volunteering led me to earn some Girl Guides Awards along with the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award. Moreover, I have also been working as a Junior Leader to spread knowledge and to empower young Sparks.

Elsie
Estevan, SK

I'm nominating myself for this award as I feel I have made a difference in and outside my community. I am a Lones Ranger in Saskatchewan. Inside and outside of Guiding I go out of my way to help others. Some examples of my commitment would be helping my friend that battled cancer raise money through her Cancer Sucks project for the Jim Pattison Children's Hospital and volunteering at the Estevan Humane Society. My hard work resulted in me getting a job at the shelter. I still go out of my way at work to help the animals in need. I have helped with the angel tree project, Christmas cookie parades, made numerous Operation Christmas Child boxes, I've played ukulele, sang and danced at hospitals and nursing homes. I love to see the joy it brings to them. I learned to read and type braille and have been in contact with the CNIB and the Braille Institute in the U.S to find a pen pal! I want to use this skill to help visually impaired people. I continue to dance at our community United Way every year since I was a little girl. I volunteer at the Cystic Fibrosis Ball to help raise money. I continue to volunteer at our local food bank, and I volunteer at my dance studio to help teach the little ones. I also continue to volunteer at an organization called Cut and Sew where we make feminine hygiene kits for girls so they can continue their education. Within Guiding I have been involved in many community clean-ups and Trefoil teas. I want to make a difference in the world around me and I will continue to put my best foot forward to help others.

Mary
Merrickville, ON

Mary is creating a better world by assisting the 50 or more girls in the Oxford Mills Sisterhood at every event, and she specifically helps out the Guides nearly every week. She has initiated, executed and delivered more than 25 birthday boxes for a local charity last year. She always helps the community at the local food drives. She impacts the community with her volunteer hours, including at the Breakfast for Easter Seals society, the countless garbage pickups, and bottle drives, plus all the things she does at school too. Mary has run challenges for the Guides to follow: Be You last year and DeCode this year. She is helping plan the Guides’ year-end trip and she plays a big part in summer camp preparations, where she and leaders get ready for a 5-night camping trip; she is even First Aid and ORCKA certified. I like camping with Mary. She makes me feel safe and happy. At her school she is on the Student Council and will be graduating this year. I am happy she plans to come back as an Ember leader next year!