Four MBA students at the HEC Montréal, the business school of Université de Montréal, raised more than $5,700 and about $150 of in-kind donations from the HEC bookstore for a school in Bangalore, India, working to educate children who might otherwise not have had the opportunity to attend school. They presented the money to the school's director during a visit to Bangalore in June.
Stephanie Chang, Sonia Czarski, Nermein Gamal and Jennifer Rubin, accompanied by professors, were among a group of HEC students participating in the school's Campus Abroad program in India.
The goal of the trip was to visit businesses and network with Indian professionals, but the four also wished to contribute to the local community "and help make a difference as responsible, global citizens," Czarski wrote to Applause.
They decided to partner with a local organization to support the education of underprivileged children and were drawn by the mission statement of the Raza Educational and Social Welfare Society in Bangalore: to help the families and communities of poor and deprived children to overcome their poverty through education and to secure lasting improvement in the quality of their living.
The school, which has about 500 students, comes under the umbrella of the foundation of a large IT outsourcing company in India, Tech Mahindra. The four students intentionally chose a smaller school, one that would have less access to funding than larger schools, Czarski explained.
The students did everything from sell samosas and knock on doors to raise the funds, which will go to buy computers, software and a television for the school's digital library.
The Raza school offers academic and vocational training and focuses on teaching its students English - the most widely spoken business language in India - and on the use of computers and programs. The four HEC students met Benazeer Baig, the school's founder and principal, and spent a day volunteering there. Here are some of their impressions:
"After two weeks of visiting large corporations and meeting with Indian executives, our visit to the Raza school provided another perspective on the growing potential of the country," Chang wrote. "We were moved and overwhelmed by the number of smiling faces and excited greetings we received from the hundreds of students who crowded the humble, narrow school building. We were equally inspired by the passion and energy of the founder of Raza, the teachers and volunteers, who help carry the hope of improving the lives of their students and their families."
Czarski wrote: "The Raza Society's objective is to provide children with knowledge and skills that will allow them to either pursue their education or obtain better jobs. It was one thing to speak to people about our campaign and the noble cause, and it was something else entirely to see all these children ... . When I entered the first classroom, filled with bright, intelligent eyes and beaming smiles, I was overwhelmed."
Despite having the deck of life stacked against them, "these children come to school every day instead of generating meagre sums to support their families, sit in sweltering classrooms and receive what will most probably be their saving grace, an education ....
Stephanie Chang, Sonia Czarski, Nermein Gamal and Jennifer Rubin, accompanied by professors, were among a group of HEC students participating in the school's Campus Abroad program in India.
The goal of the trip was to visit businesses and network with Indian professionals, but the four also wished to contribute to the local community "and help make a difference as responsible, global citizens," Czarski wrote to Applause.
They decided to partner with a local organization to support the education of underprivileged children and were drawn by the mission statement of the Raza Educational and Social Welfare Society in Bangalore: to help the families and communities of poor and deprived children to overcome their poverty through education and to secure lasting improvement in the quality of their living.
The school, which has about 500 students, comes under the umbrella of the foundation of a large IT outsourcing company in India, Tech Mahindra. The four students intentionally chose a smaller school, one that would have less access to funding than larger schools, Czarski explained.
The students did everything from sell samosas and knock on doors to raise the funds, which will go to buy computers, software and a television for the school's digital library.
The Raza school offers academic and vocational training and focuses on teaching its students English - the most widely spoken business language in India - and on the use of computers and programs. The four HEC students met Benazeer Baig, the school's founder and principal, and spent a day volunteering there. Here are some of their impressions:
"After two weeks of visiting large corporations and meeting with Indian executives, our visit to the Raza school provided another perspective on the growing potential of the country," Chang wrote. "We were moved and overwhelmed by the number of smiling faces and excited greetings we received from the hundreds of students who crowded the humble, narrow school building. We were equally inspired by the passion and energy of the founder of Raza, the teachers and volunteers, who help carry the hope of improving the lives of their students and their families."
Czarski wrote: "The Raza Society's objective is to provide children with knowledge and skills that will allow them to either pursue their education or obtain better jobs. It was one thing to speak to people about our campaign and the noble cause, and it was something else entirely to see all these children ... . When I entered the first classroom, filled with bright, intelligent eyes and beaming smiles, I was overwhelmed."
Despite having the deck of life stacked against them, "these children come to school every day instead of generating meagre sums to support their families, sit in sweltering classrooms and receive what will most probably be their saving grace, an education ....
"Moreover, it is quite remarkable that the school is also recruiting and enlisting mothers and providing them with workshops that teach them skills such as embroidery, sewing and basic computer skills. The school then contacts various enterprises, such as respectable clothing factories or department stores, and places them at decent wages."
Nermein Gamal observed of the children: "I was touched that a simple visit from us could bring them such joy. We looked in on different classrooms where the children were being taught a wide variety of subjects, including math and science, and one group that was drawing their impressions of water and air pollution."
Gamal was impressed by the passion the founder, teachers and volunteers at the school showed for what they were doing, she wrote.
Jessica Rubin wrote of the enthusiasm the children, teachers and volunteers showed for the projects on which they were working. Of the fact that the children are learning about the environment, she observed: "It was amazing to see that the children in India are learning about the environment similar to the way we learn about it in Canada and that they understand ways in which they can make a difference. Obviously, the country still
has a long way to go, but seeing this type of education is a reassuring sign that India is moving in the right direction."
For more on the foundation, go to www.benazeer.org
Cyclists Beth Stutman and Mark Weinberg organized a ride that raised more than $20,000 for the Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation. The organization is almost exclusively volunteer-based; every dollar raised goes directly to help children through the 17 pediatric oncology units in Canada's hospitals.
Their small, but mighty, team of cyclists included Stutman's husband, Peter and her cousin Brahm Seitz, a cancer survivor. Weinberg's wife, Sara, drove the support vehicle that accompanied the cyclists.
The group left the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto on July 23 and arrived at the Montreal Children's Hospital on July 27 at 4 p.m.
"We rode through thunder and lightning and even hail, 100-degree temperatures and other such extremes for a total distance of 621 kilometres," Stutman wrote to Applause.
Ben Reiter, an experienced long-distance cyclist, travelled from Montreal and "hopped on a wheel" in Cornwall to join the group for the final leg of the ride.
"Emotions ran high," Stutman wrote, "as all cyclists arrived together to a warm welcome from friends and relatives."
In 2009, Stutman and Weinberg cycled across Canada as part of the Sears National Kids Cancer Ride and raised $64,000 for the 17 pediatric oncology units.
For more about the ride, www.coasttocoastagainst cancer.org.
Éric Senécal, corporate controller at Quebec Blue Cross and the new president of the Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf Alumni Association, presented a $125,000 cheque on July 25 to the foundation of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine.
The money was raised through the Juste pour les enfants event, organized by Brébeuf alumni, and in particular Senécal, during the Just for Laughs festival.
Following a cocktail reception at Club Charlot, the Just for Laughs VIP tent, about 200 guests attended the Soirée New York Videotron at Place des Arts, hosted by the multitalented Gregory Charles.
Charles is also a Brébeuf alumni, as is Quebec media celebrity Herby Moreau, honorary president of the event.
It was the first fundraiser organized by Senécal as president of the Brébeuf alumni association: the event raised $62,500 - and the amount was matched by CN's Miracle Match program.
Nermein Gamal observed of the children: "I was touched that a simple visit from us could bring them such joy. We looked in on different classrooms where the children were being taught a wide variety of subjects, including math and science, and one group that was drawing their impressions of water and air pollution."
Gamal was impressed by the passion the founder, teachers and volunteers at the school showed for what they were doing, she wrote.
Jessica Rubin wrote of the enthusiasm the children, teachers and volunteers showed for the projects on which they were working. Of the fact that the children are learning about the environment, she observed: "It was amazing to see that the children in India are learning about the environment similar to the way we learn about it in Canada and that they understand ways in which they can make a difference. Obviously, the country still
has a long way to go, but seeing this type of education is a reassuring sign that India is moving in the right direction."
For more on the foundation, go to www.benazeer.org
Cyclists Beth Stutman and Mark Weinberg organized a ride that raised more than $20,000 for the Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation. The organization is almost exclusively volunteer-based; every dollar raised goes directly to help children through the 17 pediatric oncology units in Canada's hospitals.
Their small, but mighty, team of cyclists included Stutman's husband, Peter and her cousin Brahm Seitz, a cancer survivor. Weinberg's wife, Sara, drove the support vehicle that accompanied the cyclists.
The group left the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto on July 23 and arrived at the Montreal Children's Hospital on July 27 at 4 p.m.
"We rode through thunder and lightning and even hail, 100-degree temperatures and other such extremes for a total distance of 621 kilometres," Stutman wrote to Applause.
Ben Reiter, an experienced long-distance cyclist, travelled from Montreal and "hopped on a wheel" in Cornwall to join the group for the final leg of the ride.
"Emotions ran high," Stutman wrote, "as all cyclists arrived together to a warm welcome from friends and relatives."
In 2009, Stutman and Weinberg cycled across Canada as part of the Sears National Kids Cancer Ride and raised $64,000 for the 17 pediatric oncology units.
For more about the ride, www.coasttocoastagainst cancer.org.
Éric Senécal, corporate controller at Quebec Blue Cross and the new president of the Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf Alumni Association, presented a $125,000 cheque on July 25 to the foundation of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine.
The money was raised through the Juste pour les enfants event, organized by Brébeuf alumni, and in particular Senécal, during the Just for Laughs festival.
Following a cocktail reception at Club Charlot, the Just for Laughs VIP tent, about 200 guests attended the Soirée New York Videotron at Place des Arts, hosted by the multitalented Gregory Charles.
Charles is also a Brébeuf alumni, as is Quebec media celebrity Herby Moreau, honorary president of the event.
It was the first fundraiser organized by Senécal as president of the Brébeuf alumni association: the event raised $62,500 - and the amount was matched by CN's Miracle Match program.
