In mid-October of last year a number of Grade 7 and 8 students from ASES (Archie Stouffer Elementary School)
went to see Craig Kielburger, founder of Free the Children, speak about the organization and helping others. FTC
is the largest network of children helping children in the world. Kielburger started the organization in 1995
when he was just 12 years old.
The Minden students were so inspired by Kielburger that they decided to start up their own initiative to lend a
hand to children in other countries: Helping Hands. Through the guidance of teacher Laurie Marks-O’Sullivan,
they set their sights on raising money for local charity Help A Village Effort. HAVE was started in Haliburton
26 years ago, and focuses on raising money to drill wells in villages around the world that don’t have access to
clean water.
During the year the ASES students organized dances, bake sales and a tuck shop to raise money. In the end they
met their goal and donated $1,552.20 to HAVE, which is enough money to build a well for a school in West Bengal,
India.
The students are thrilled with the outcome. and presented the cheque to Ron Reid, HAVE chair, at an assembly
last Tuesday. “It’s unbelievable what a difference this will make for these children,” said Reid. “You can just
imagine a school like [Archie Stouffer] without running water.”
Some of the students returning to ASES in the fall plan to keep Helping Hands running, and next year might set
their sights on building an entire school.“it’s a global awareness that you’re helping children in other parts
of the world,” said Reid. “We’re all a community; one global village.”
Over the years HAVE has supported the building of more than 700 wells. Reid wants the kids at ASES to know that
they have made a huge difference in the quality of life for children just like themselves.
Toos Reid went out west this summer to visit with her family and decided to swim the five kilometres across Lake
Okanagan with her two sisters.
Although her younger sisters, Willie and Caroline, were just doing it for fun, Toos decided to turn it into her
own personal fundraiser. She would raise money for Help a Village Effort, or HAVE, the volunteer organization
that started in Haliburton to raise money to provide clean and accessible drinking water in developing
countries.
“My sisters had tried to swim it two or three years ago and didn’t quite finish it the way they wanted to, so
they wanted to try it again,” said Toos. “When my husband Ron and I said we were heading out west they asked if
I would like to swim across with them.”
There used to be an annual Walk for Water in Haliburton in early June. The organizers found that there was too
much going on in the county at that time, so the turnout wasn’t great. They decided to ask people to choose
their own adventure to do any time during the year to raise money on a more individual basis.
”Some people still do a walk. others kayak or run marathons. I decided to swim.” said Toos. “I do the music at
our church so I stood up during the announcements and said that we were going away for a few weeks. and
mentioned that I was doing this so I could ask for donations.”
While Toos and Ron were out west they woke up most mornings to a calm lake. On the day that Toos and her sisters
chose to do their swim, however, the lake was quite choppy.”It was cold, probably about 68 degrees,” said Toos.
“It was quite an adventure, quite a challenge.”
Although the women were’t aiming to do it within a certain time, they did keep track and finished the swim in
just under three hours. They were also joined by Toos’s niece for about two-thirds of the swim.
“It was the funniest feeling when you finished after three hours of swimming; It was like your body didn’t
remember how to walk.’ said Toos. “We were almost crawling up the rocks after, and it took our bodies a while to
recuperate.”
As a result of doing the swim Toos has raised over $5,000 for HAVE. HAVE Is well on its way to reaching its goal
of $50,000 by the end of August. It needs to raise $50,000 each year in order to qualify for a matching grant
from the Canadian International Development Agency. Ron says that this year HAVE has been responsible for 26 new
wells. ”This has been a great year both for fundraising and for our partners.” said Ron. “We’re pretty close to
our goal.”
Each well that HAVE purchases makes a difference in the lives of countless people. This year they have put 10
just outside Calcutta in West Bhengal, six in Orissa and another 10 in Andhra Pradesh.
When asked if it was hard to fundraise for an individual adventure like her own, Toos said “I have a hard time
asking for money but its for a worthy cause. I send out a begging letter to friends, maybe every second or third
year, telling them what I’m doing and what it’s for.”
So far this year, HAVE has installed 16 wells and will be adding 10 more in the SUCHI project this fall. It will
also be completing at least one other project with HAVE funds and help repair a number of wells which were
flooded out during the monsoon season. HAVE, a grassroots volunteer agency which has its roots in Haliburton
County, continues to need the community’s help. The CIDA proposal to install 220 wells and 150 dry toilet
sanitation stations over the next three years is in its last stages of approval. HAVE hopes to have positive
results for this submission in few weeks.
The sponsorship program for a tube well was overwhelming in 2007-2008. The exact count isn’t in yet, but between
five and 10 new wells will identified with a plaque to thank the individuals and groups. Tube well sponsorship
program this year.
Through specific supporters, HAVE has also donated to a elementary school and eye clinic in Boalia, West Bengal.
The effort of groups all across Canada – from Glovertown, Marystown, St. John’s in Newfoundland to Lindsay and
Haliburton in Ontario, and Chase and Vancouver in British Columbia, with many points in between – was
phenomenal.
