April 1: Free the Children speaker delivers powerful message to 450 students

Approximately 450 students from Rainbow Schools will gather on Friday, April 1, 2011 at 11 am at Lockerby Composite School to hear a powerful motivational speaker from Free the Children. Participants include Grade 6 to 12 students from Lockerby Composite School, Sudbury Secondary School, Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School, Lasalle Secondary School, Northeastern Elementary School, Churchill Public School, Algonquin Road Public School, Long Lake Public School, Wembley Public School and Cyril Varney Public School.

A former child soldier, Michel Chikwanine has already endured and overcome unimaginable pain and struggles. His passion and belief in the possibility for change make him a truly remarkable individual and humanitarian. Through his powerful message, he will motivate students to continue to make a difference on a global level. Michel has spoken at the Me to We Day in Toronto and has shared the stage with several prominent speakers. 
                       
This generous offer from Free The Children is a thank you to Sudbury Minga for Maasai and its many partners for their fundraising efforts in support of the Adopt a Village program in the rural Masai Mara community of Pimbiniet, Kenya. Local partners, including Rainbow Schools, have been raising funds for the project since September 2007.

Working with the people of Pimbiniet, six one-classroom schools and a school kitchen have been constructed, the building of a school library has begun, a water system has been developed, health care and education have been provided, and citizens have come together to focus on mutual empowerment and economic development.

“Increased education, better access to clean water and sanitation, consistent health care and sources of alternative income are having a positive impact,” says Lori Adams, Co-ordinator of Sudbury Minga for Maasai. “These successes represent an amazing step forward towards enabling the people of Pimbiniet to create a healthy, sustainable future. And it’s all been made possible because of the generosity of local students and the Sudbury community.”

Norm Blaseg, Director of Education for Rainbow District School Board, says thinking globally and acting locally is part of the Board’s ongoing efforts to focus on education for sustainable development. "By contributing to the Minga for Maasai project, students in Rainbow Schools are learning about different cultures and gaining a greater understanding about social issues," he says. "Students are leading positive change through good global citizenship."

Free The Children, founded by Craig Kielburger, is the world’s largest organization of children helping children through education.  Connections are at the heart of their work.  Empowering young people at home to realize their potential in being active world-changers goes hand-in-hand with breaking generational cycles of poverty through education and creating sustainable solutions for communities in the developing world.

The presentation with Michel Chikwanine will serve as a prelude to the 2nd Annual Sudbury Minga for Maasai Benefit Soirée being held on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at 6 pm at Bryston’s on the Park. Hosted by Markus Schwabe of CBC Morning North, the event includes an auction and dinner. Tickets, at $70 each, are available at Gloria’s Convenience and Videos and Vrab’s Your Independent Grocer. A $30 charitable receipt will be issued by Free the Children.
 
-30-

Media Contacts:

Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor,
Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning,
Rainbow District School Board, 705-674-3171, ext. 7217.

Lori Adams, Co-ordinator,
Sudbury Minga for Maasai, 705-522-2018 or 705-523-0462