Turnbull School United Way campaign.
Turnbull School launched its United Way campaign on Oct. 13 with dances and skits performed by junior and senior students.
Kristy Wallace
Students as young as six years old were encouraged to change the world at Turnbull School’s United Way Campaign launch on Oct. 13.
“When you have your United Way fundraiser, it means you’re raising money to make another kid’s life better,” said Max Keeping, who was the school’s special guest and chairman of the Ottawa United Way Campaign. “No matter what way you do it, you have the power to make the world a better place.”
Students dressed in United Way red and white filed into the gym to watch three skits performed by students who demonstrated the organization’s three pillars: growing up great, belonging to community, and turning lives around.
In their skits, students touched on issues related to going to school without breakfast, helping new Canadians integrate into the school system, and the importance of soup kitchens.
Keeping thanked the students for delivering those important messages to their peers.
“I believe you are not going to wait until you’re grown up to change the world,” Keeping told the students. “You can do it now and you are doing it now.”
Mary Ann Turnbull, the school’s director, said it’s been important for the school to give back to the community because the community has given to much to the Turnbull School.
She said when the school moved to its current location on Fisher Avenue 15 years ago, they were able to teach students on a beautiful property and she felt fortunate for it.
“The Ottawa community had been good to our school, and we had to think of how to give back to the community,” Turnbull said. “Not everyone is as fortunate as we are.”
From the beginning of Turnbull’s 20-year history, she said, it was important for her to teach young people how to be contributing, caring citizens.
“This caring wasn’t just something we did with each other here, but we have a responsibility to show caring to others in the bigger Ottawa community. It’s simply the right thing to do.”
Over the past 15 years, Turnbull said the school has contributed a total of $217,436 to the United Way.
In his speech to students, Keeping said that students can do little things to make the world a better place, such as cleaning their room without their parents asking and playing with another child who might look lonely at recess.
“You’ll get a warm feeling inside, and you’ll feel good that you know you made a difference for someone,” Keeping said.
As part of the campaign, the school will hold a variety of fundraising activities including a tulip bulb sale, coin drops, movie family night and an Ottawa 67s hockey game.