See It: The Community being helped

In 2001 my family and I took my first trip to India. My personal experiences during this visit opened my eyes to the plight of the needy children. I realized how fortunate I was to live in Canada and have the opportunities for leading a good life. Through my involvement in KEY Club, Global Responsibility Club and my volunteer activities I became inspired and motivated to undertake what will probably become my life’s work. My vision is to build an orphanage in India. While investigating the realities of such an undertaking, my family decided to donate land that has belonged to them for over 200 years.
Over the past three years I have been working with my grandfather and father to confirm the future site by coming to agreements with my extended family. The orphanage is called the Jamsher Children’s Village and the facility and supporting programs will support approximately 30 children at any given time.
The project, when initiated in 2003, had a 10 year plan for completion. Though much has been done, there is still much to do. My accomplishments to date include: establishing a vision, obtaining 3.5 acres of land in India, and organizing an awareness event called Claremont Cultural Extravaganza through the support of Claremont Secondary School and the various school service clubs (Student Council, KEY Club and Global Responsibility Club). This event raised over $13,000 and approximately 350 people for our local community participated. Last year I went to India to work in an existing orphanage for one month in order to fully understand the challenges that need to be overcome. My next major goal is to have the first of approximately eight buildings in place within the next two years.