CHCH Donate instead of receive Michaelas Christmas Wish As the Christmas shopping season ramps up, one 14-year old girl in Oakville says that she doesn’t want any gifts this season and is instead raising money for the less fortunate. The choice to donate rather than receive is a growing trend. Michaela Coleman won’t be getting any new gifts this Christmas. That’s because the 14-year old is instead asking her friends and family to donate to the less fortunate. Laura Skelton, Michaela’s mom: “She goes, ‘I don’t need any boots mom, there are kids in Africa that don’t have water. They need water more than I need boots’.” Back in October, Michaela scoured the web, looking for ways to give back. Now she’s raised over $2,000 for Charity Water, a non-profit organization that provides clean safe drinking water across the world. Michaela Coleman, raising money for Charity Water: “When I found out that 800 million people go without fresh water, I thought that was crazy because we use water everyday for basic things.” Michaela originally hoped to raise one thousand dollars. But thanks to the tremendous support she has received, she increased her goal to $10,000: “Well, with all the support I have gotten so far, it is really showing me that I can expand, go forward and do bigger things.” For Michaela’s mother, the idea of not wanting gifts for Christmas initially took her by surprise, but says she’s proud of her daughter for finding the true meaning of the holidays: “When she decided to give up Christmas to do this, it made me realize that my little child, little daughter who has always had these huge Christmas lists with all these requests has actually grown into a young woman. Sheree Meredith with the Hamilton Community Foundation says as the holiday season ramps up, people tend to dig deeper into their pockets: “They think about the charitable giving, and more and more people are saying I don’t need anything or rather than one more thing maybe I can do something that will make a difference in someone else’s life.” Meredith says it’s exciting to see younger people getting involved in charitable acts. She says Michaela is just one of many people this Christmas who are rethinking the season of giving: “It’s about thinking outside of yourself and thinking about how do you really give back.” At last count, Michaela has raised over 21-hundred dollars. According to the Charity Water website, that amount will provide clean and safe drinking water to more than 60 people. Click on the link if you want to make a donation to Michaela’s charity.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 07:06:37 +0000
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