One local student wants to inspire others to make a change.
Ladner's Morgan Leung, who is in Grade 11 at Southpointe Academy, is hosting an event next month with Free the Children ambassador Spencer West, a motivational speaker.
The April 20 event is a fundraiser for the international charity that aims to incite change through young people around the world. Its goal is to free children everywhere to achieve their fullest potential.
West, who was born with a condition that led to the loss of his legs at the pelvis by the age of five, is an ambassador for Free the Children, a motivational speaker and a regular at the annual We Day events.
Leung said she saw him speak at her first We Day three years ago and was blown away by his story.
She is organizing the fundraiser as part of her Independent Directed Studies class at Southpointe. Students taking the class choose their own area of study and, working with a mentor, complete major projects and 100 hours of service.
Leung said she chose to study international relations/development, something she wants to pursue in her post-secondary studies.
The teen has been inspired by the Free the Children movement, which was started by Craig Kielburger in 1995. He was 12 years old and rallied 11 of his friends to fight child labour. Today, the organization continues to inspire young people around the world to make a difference.
Leung has attended the charity's Take Action leadership camps for two summers and this year she's travelling to Arizona to train as a Free the Children facilitator. She will be the youngest ever trained as a facilitator for the organization.
Last summer she volunteered with Free the Children and worked with migrant families in Mexico.
Leung said the organization teaches young people to act locally as well as globally.
She's chosen to focus locally and has, to date, donated more than 1,500 jars of baby food to the South Delta Food Bank plus another $500 worth of food, mostly by raising money selling friendship bracelets.
Last fall she spoke about her volunteer work, which started with the Heart and Stroke Foundation, in front of 20,000 people at We Day in Vancouver.
All the money raised at the April 20 event will go to Free the Children. Leung said her initial goal was to raise $5,000 but she's aiming for even more after already raising more than $4,000 through sponsorships.
Tickets cost $15 and are available at Southpointe Academy starting April 2.
For more information on Free the Children and Spencer West visit www. freethechildren.com.
