This page was exported from Shelburne Free Press [ https://shelburnefreepress.ca ] Export date:Wed Jul 3 13:19:08 2024 / +0000 GMT ___________________________________________________ Title: Centennial Hylands student hits the kitchen to help Fort Mac --------------------------------------------------- Like many Canadians, Katie Gordon watched with horror as wildfires engulfed Fort McMurray, AB, and rapidly spread across the province. As she watched the news, she turned to her mother, Julie, and said, “Mummy, I just can't sit here and do nothing. We have to do something.” And something is exactly what they are doing this week. Katie, a Grade 8 student at Centennial Hylands Elementary School, along with her mother, and some of her classmates are baking up a storm ahead of a fundraising bake sale they will host this Saturday at their Simon Street home raising money for Red Cross relief. All donations to the Red Cross for Fort McMurray will be matched by the Federal government. “Put yourselves in someone else's shoes,” says Katie. “Imagine it was you. What would be helpful for you? If something like this happened to you and you lost everything, how much would it mean to you if someone from across the country came and did something to try to help you out?” Now is your chance to do just that – and get some sweet treats in the process. “We did lots of shopping today and Katie has some friends coming over to do some of the baking, icing things and getting things organized,” Julie told the Shelburne Free Press on Tuesday, noting that brownies and “anything with icing” have proven particularly popular at their previous bake sales. Despite her age, Katie is becoming an old hand at these charitable bake sales. Active in her school's Me to We club, she is very aware of social issues and spearheaded a bake sale to raise money for Spread the Net, the charity founded by Rick Mercer and Belinda Stronach to purchase anti-malaria bed nets for families in developing countries. “She has always been really caring and she has always been that kid who would stand up to the bully or help someone in school having problems with math or reading, and would go over and help them,” says Julie. “But, I really think the Me to We program has been a big drive for her, really, in realising how much of a difference you can make and that one person can actually make a difference, and the more people that work together, the bigger difference we can make. The program has been really influential for her. “It is really wonderful because I think that is the kind of daughter all of us would like to raise: the kind that is thinking of other people and doing things to help them. Seeing her do that and coming up with that idea on her own is really heartwarming.” In the days ahead, the family and their friends will be busy in the kitchen, as well as placing posters in and around Shelburne, and making signs for Highway 89 directing people to their house. If you're not particularly interested in the baking, however, they will also have a jar on hand to collect donations directly for the Red Cross. “If you can come out and support us, that's great and we'll try not to run out of food!' says Julie. “If we do run out of food, any donations would be gratefully accepted. Come as soon as you can because sometimes these things sell out quickly. It is hard to know exactly how much you're going to need because sometimes things go well, sometimes they don't, and the weather is not supposed to be all that nice on Saturday – so the weather will be cramping our style a bit!” Don't let the weather cramp your style, your sweet tooth, or your spirit of giving. Head over to the Gordons at 609 Simon Street this Saturday, May 14, from 1 – 4 p.m. By Brock Weir --------------------------------------------------- Images: --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Post date: 2016-05-13 13:17:41 Post date GMT: 2016-05-13 17:17:41 Post modified date: 2016-05-20 17:33:41 Post modified date GMT: 2016-05-20 21:33:41 ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Export of Post and Page as text file has been powered by [ Universal Post Manager ] plugin from www.gconverters.com