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Kids helping kids benefits home and abroad

Sep 28, 2017 | 2:00 PM

A group of young people’s hard work has paid off for two children’s organizations; one in the Battlefords and the other in Ecuador.

Kids Helping Kids is a local yard care business which began this spring created and operated entirely by local area young people between six and 16 years of age.

Sixteen-year-old Emily Simon started the venture after a Me To We mission trip to Ecuador. The WE Charity organization provides leadership training and volunteer trips to developing communities.

“While there they asked us to do an action plan on how when we get back to our communities we would develop change,” the John Paul II student said.

Simon said she always wanted to make a difference in her community and together with her father and a group of close family friends, Kids Helping Kids was born.

“My dad and I always talked about something like this,” she rsaid. “Then when I got home from the mission trip we decided to make it happen.”

The idea of a yard care business was an easy choice for Simon as her father Curtis Simon owned a similar operation. 

“My brother and I were really heavily involved with dad’s company as were some of the youth which helped with our project this spring,” Emily said. “It was something we were very familiar with.”

Beside Emily Simon, the business consisted of Liam Tkatchuk, Matthew Vanstone, Jonah Simon, Rowan Tkatchuk, Brooklyn Jenner, Adam Vanstone, Andre LaCock, and Cael Tkatchuk all of whom helped out with irrigation, raking, and mowing lawns during the spring cleanup in the Battlefords.

“When we started out we thought if we could do maybe 25 yards this year we would be happy,” she added. “Then the calls kept coming in and we reached the 50 mark and we finished with 65 yards this year and we raised $4,000.”

The money was divided between Me to We’s education pillar in Ecuador and KidSport Battlefords.

KidSport co-chair David Schell said a $2,000 contribution such as this was certainly appreciated and it was made even more special knowing it came from a group of young people.

“When Emily approached me this spring I thought what a great initiative for these kids,” Schell said. “Seeing that already at such an early age they want to give back to the community means they will be good citizens going forward.”

Simon, who is off on another mission trip to Africa this year said while they haven’t quite worked out the final details yet Kids Helping Kids expects to back in the spring of 2018.

 

roger.white@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @RJWtheReporter