A Callander teen has put a creative spin on a Canada 150 program that will make a difference in her hometown.
When 17-year-old Kara McDonell heard about RBC's #Make150Count she had an idea.
The program celebrates Canada's 150th birthday by giving young people $150 with no strings attached, and the chance to do good deeds in their communities...a kind of national, pay-it-forward social experiment. Thousands of youth across the country are being selected.
"For my initiative, I really wanted to give back to our local Callander Library since I truly believe that early learning and developing reading skills with kids is a very important asset in a community," said McDonell. "So I decided to purchase close to $150 worth of children's books."
The grade 12 student at St. Joseph-Scollard Hall bought the books locally, and was able to give out 109 free books at the annual Callander Library Kids Activity Day held February 25. The Library was kind enough to donate some books as well so that each child at the event received one.
"It was such an amazing experience to be able to give back to my community with this Make $150 Count initiative," she told BayToday. "I have worked with the library before and have seen a real need for early literacy in our community. The staff at the local Callander Public Library were thrilled to have me involved with their annual kid's activity day where I gave away the books. As for the kids, the look on their faces when they received their free book was so rewarding for me.
"This entire experience has been amazing, being able to help make my community a better place, no matter how small the gesture, is something I'll never forget."
The gift inspired McDonell to even greater heights.
"I'd like to use some of the money from RBC to start setting up book sharing stations (little book mailboxes) around key areas in our community to encourage the donation of books," added McDonell.
