Haiti Relief from Grade 9 Student
by Travis Allison
The January 12th earthquake in Haiti has touched all of us. Since we first blogged about the relief works focused on this Caribbean island we have been trying to draw attention to students and what they are doing to help.
Today we introduce you to UNICEF Ambassador Bilaal Rajan, a Grade 9 student at Lakefield College School. Bilaal’s quest is get every student in Canada to raise $100 for Haitian disaster relief.
Bilaal has been involved in fundraising for causes from around the world for more than half of his life. His first small project was selling fruit door-to-door in his neighbourhood to raise money to help earthquake victims in India. From there his passion grew.
Bilaal has been working to end poverty around the world and had always focused on the effects of these tragedies on children.
His Latest Project – Haiti
Bilaal is calling on every student in Canada to raise $100 for Haitian earthquake relief. Starting at home, he has a commitment from Lakefield College and its students to raise $35 000.
“What we have here [in Canada] is more than the necessities of life and we don’t appreciate them enough,” Bilaal said when I interviewed him on Friday. His message to the children of Canada: “Just because you have so much doesn’t mean that everyone else does.”
Just to add a little flare to his call for action Bilaal has added a personal challenge. Known around Lakefield for his fauxhawk and liberal us of hair gel, Rajan will shave his head in the name of the school that raises the most money.
Bilaal is just a normal teenager who has discovered his passion in life – helping others.
…and, in the immortal words of Grace, the secretary at Ferris Beuller’s high school: He’s a righteous dude.
UNICEF Projects in Haiti
Money from Bilaal’s fundraiser will be going toward UNICEF Haiti projects that bring clean drinking water, provide education, food and shelter.
Click here for more information and to donate now.
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