Fundraising Fueled by Passion.

Madeline (Maddy) and Emily are two students (ages 15 and 13 respectively) from Frances Kelsey Secondary School in Cobble Hill, British Columbia, a small town just outside of Victoria. Why am I telling you this? Well, these two teenage girls share a passion and interest that most children their age rarely acknowledge, nevermind invest their valuable time into – that is, a passion for raising funds and awareness towards the neuromuscular disorder Muscular Dystrophy.

Their interest in spreading the word for this degenerative condition sparked when they recognized how little people actually knew about MD., The two girls were astonished how often it was confused with MS (Multiple Sclerosis). Therefore, they brought forth the idea to organize a bake sale at their school. In it, they enlisted the help of their friends and classmates to help them achieve their goal. Maddy and Emily also came up with the brilliant idea of asking their family and friends for a small donation towards their important cause. In the process, they raised over $2000 which happened to be the highest amount raised by an individual at the 2016 Victoria, BC Walk for Muscular Dystrophy and was all donated to the Muscular Dystrophy Canada. In addition to their generous donation, the two girls spread a considerable amount awareness for the cause, a feat that is just important as the money itself. Already filled with an overwhelming sense of achievement, Emily had also been chosen and honoured as the ambassador of the event

Although their fundraiser was a massive success, it was not without its share of “hiccups” as evident in one very amusing story about one of the challenges they overcame to fulfill their final goal. It all began when the school secretary was writing the donation cheque the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Canada. Rather than writing the funds out to MDC (as they were instructed to), the secretary and school administrators instead wrote the money out to MS, despite Maddy and Emily’s clear objective and overall message. However, as I am sure you can probably guess based on their positive tenacity and dedication to their cause, the two immediately noticed the error and had it corrected before it was too late.

While their fundraising campaign is finished (for now) and they are focusing on their transition into a new grade, Maddy and Emily aren’t done giving yet. They are already in the planning stages of next year’s fundraising endeavor where they plan to organize at least one bake sale throughout their school year. They even offered this piece of advice to anyone who feels compelled to give back to an organization they are passionate about by saying “If you're our age, start with something small, like a bake sale at school. If it was a hit, try it again, or a few times throughout the school year. Raise as much awareness as possible, it will help others understand what you're raising money for and will lead to more donations” and “don’t wait until the last minute to plan your event, it takes a fair amount of time to organize fundraiser”.

Overall, these two young girls have a bright future and I am very proud to share their story and bring attention to their accomplishments.

Stay classy people,

Jaxson