Amazing Canadian Kids!: What They’Re Doing to Make a Difference and How You Can Too!

By Sheneeza Kanji

The five Canadian kids you will meet in these chapters have impacted the world to the point where it is forever changed. Thanks to their youthful innocence, they saw a great need, and did not hesitate in raising their voice and forging new paths to emerge triumphant in their quest to make the world a better place for the environment and their fellow human beings. You will read how their journey began and how it unfolded during their childhood, and what they are doing today to continue their amazing work. At the end of each chapter, you will be empowered with facts and suggestions on how you can do your part to change the world because kids can make a difference!

The author will donate a percentage of personal proceeds from sales of this book to each of the organizations/causes represented by the five Canadian "kids".

An "Amazing Children Around The World" Book

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 25, 2012
• ISBN: 9781463420611

Sheneeza Kanji

Sheneeza Kanji was born in Guyana and moved to Ottawa, Canada at the age of five with her family. After completing an Honours Degree in Psychology at Carleton University, she went on to study education at the University of Ottawa. As a teacher in the Ontario public schools, she saw a need for children to grow as more empathetic individuals. Rare stories of children who displayed “extreme” examples of compassion were emerging in the Canadian media and Sheneeza used these stories as the inspiration for her first book . Sheneeza is dedicated to writing non-fiction material that will serve to educate and inspire children to look within themselves in forging a path of empathy and compassion for others. She has travelled extensively throughout the world, visiting impoverished communities in India, Kenya, Turkey, Morocco and Egypt among others. In recent years, she, her husband and four children have undertaken “family give-back vacations” in which orphanages are visited, eco-tours are experienced, and donating clothes and toys to less fortunate children are included as part of their vacation experience. Sheneeza currently lives in the Greater Toronto Area with her family.

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© 2012 Sheneeza Kanji. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 01/13/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4634-2060-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4634-2061-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011910252

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Introduction

Ryan and the Water Well

Miranda Films for the Environment

Hannah Cares for the Homeless

Kayla Opens a Window for World of Autism

Craig Battles Child Labour

Other Facts and Statistics on Childhood Illnesses and Natural Disasters, and How You Can Help:

Glossary of Terms

Acknowledgements/Credits

Introduction

Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant? A powerful question posed by one of the great peacemakers and anti-slavery activists of his time - Henry David Thoreau would have been proud to witness this miracle he speaks of lived through the extraordinary lives of - not adults - but children.

The stories you are about to read are truly amazing. They tell of five Canadian children enjoying a normal childhood, until there came a day when their world is forever changed. What happens to transform their childhood into something unexpected and remarkable? You will witness that it is a deep sense of compassion for their environment or for people in their family, community or around the world that drives these amazing children to reach beyond all expectations to make important contributions in the lives of all those who need help. These five children possess a wonderful view of the world around us as one in which children can make a difference, regardless of age, once you set goals and work hard to achieve them. And so, each embark on the amazing journey you will soon come to know – a journey through the eyes of another.

The sense that anything is possible if we all work together to make positive changes is somehow lost to many adults. However, as we see in these stories, there are children who do not look for the impossible but instead seek the possible. You will be inspired by the sheer determination and perseverance of the amazing children you will meet in these chapters. Their stories will highlight the important and lasting contributions they have made and continue to make in the various causes they fight for. The choices each make to take steps toward improving environmental awareness or the lives of others, in turn moves others to the point where they are also inspired to take action on important issues in our world. You will meet Ryan Hreljac who believes in this Ripple Effect because he has seen it first hand. He believes that when you reach out to help in an important cause, no matter what it may be, you are also reaching out to inspire others to help as well.

Many of us see and hear about the suffering of people on television, in the newspapers or on the internet. But what if anything do we do about it? Do we just take a little of it in and then continue on with our lives as if it has nothing to do with us? Not so with Craig Keilburger. Craig decided that the pain of reading a disturbing newspaper article was too much for him to ignore what he had learned and could not see why he should not help victims even if they lived far away. Craig’s story is testament that one person, even a child, can change the world simply by choosing not to ignore those who need our help.

Perhaps there is someone in your family or community that appears to be having a tough time. When you choose to use a talent or an interest you have in something to help that person, you may just change that persons life for the better – forever! Kayla Cornale understands this very much. Her love of the piano transformed her cousin’s life, helping her cousin to overcome difficult challenges.

The idea that you can find inspiration to make a difference almost anywhere is not lost to Miranda Andersen. With the help of her teacher, she discovered she had a passion for filmmaking and used that passion to raise awareness about two of Earth’s majestic ecosystems. Realizing she could combine these two interests set her off on a new and exciting path in her young life.

In our own communities and cities in Canada and around the world, we often drive or walk by individuals who seem to live on the streets. Do you ever stop to wonder what that would be like? Can you imagine yourself without a home to live in or food to eat? It would be a very sad and lonely life I’m sure. I would hope that there would be someone out there who cared enough to ask me if I needed help - someone like young Hannah Taylor who had a difficult time understanding why no one cared for these people. If more people could be driven to action as Hannah was to change the lives of these helpless individuals, perhaps there would be less of this problem.

In reading this book, I hope you come away with a sense of understanding of the many difficulties and