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November
2021
Alta Vista Lemonade Stand Raises $2000 for Family in Tanzania
By Cheshmak Farhoumand-Sims
and Leanne Johnny
What would
you do if a widower
friend on the other
side of the world was to write to you to
say he can’t afford school fees for his son who now had to leave the
village to pursue high school? When the Farhoumand-Sims family received
this news from their friend Edward in Tanzania, the
family’s four children
suggested a lemonade stand would be a
perfect way to achieve the goal of raising $530 in support of Ramson’s
schooling. Their 12-year-old daughter, who is part of the Alta Vista
Junior Youth Empowerment Program (JYEP), informed the group of the
initiative and they enthusiastically decided to lend support.
August 21, which was
perhaps one of the
hottest days recorded in Ottawa, was the
date chosen for the lemonade stand. As for the location ... where
better than in front of the Alta Vista Park wading pool, always filled
with neighbourhood children and their families enjoying a picnic and
water play.
Two days before the
event, organizers began
spreading the word on Facebook.
Late that evening, Ms. Farhoumand-Sims saw a tag on her Facebook
newsfeed ... a message from a Michael Mynott asking her to
get in touch to
receive money raised in
support of the fundraiser.
Mr. Mynott had challenged
his friends to pledge
money, which he would match up
to $500.
The next day, Ms.
Farhoumand-Sims and Mr. Mynott
talked by telephone about
Edward and his boys,
Ramson and Edwin, and
the friendship that had developed between this family and the
Farhoumand-Sims’ since 2019. That Edward was a hard-working father who
was raising two boys after losing his wife, and then losing his job as
a safari guide in the lead up to the pandemic.
On the day for the lemonade stand, the kids organizing it were beyond
excited and the flurry of activity began. Among the children, Kian
Farhoumand-Sims, a budding artist, decided to bring her paintings and
clay work to sell, Ishana and Talika Aidroos and their cousin Sonakshi,
had made beautiful friendship
bracelets they added to
the sale table, while Carmel and Ben
Seleger brought a box of toys and books. Thanks to
parent Leanne Johnny and
her three sons Cameron,
Austin and Brendan, there was a big container of
cookies. Even young people who were not a part of the JYEP lent
support. Emmy Pajnich, a friend from school, dropped off some of her
beautiful crafts, and Yausi Kanani, a friend from the Baha’i community,
dropped off exquisite cupcakes for sale. And if that was not enough to
make for a special day, one of the acilitators of the JYEP, Seema
Mullally, a talented violinist, decided she would do a recital at the
fundraiser.
Everything was ready for noon, parent Sarita Bhatla was on
lemonade-making duty in her home close to the park, and everyone waited
patiently for the first customers to arrive. Although not one person
was at the wading pool until past 2 p.m., for a solid 3.5 hours
straight, a steady stream of friends and neighbours from Alta Vista and
the Baha’i community who had heard about the fundraiser on Facebook
postings and word of mouth, as well as people driving by, and finally
from the wading pool, stopped by and generously donated $2, $5, $10,
and even $20 for a 50˘ cup of lemonade, pieces of art, and donated
cookies and cupcakes. And it was a very special moment when Mr. Mynott
arrived to deliver a cheque for $1050 and enjoy a cup of lemonade.
In the end, the lemonade stand raised just over $2000! It was not only
enough to cover the cost of school tuition for the young boy in
Tanzania, but it also provided enough for his family to purchase a
motorcycle which could be used as a taxi service, providing the family
with a livelihood, something Edward had told Mrs. Farhoumand-Sims he
was striving for.
On August 27, Edward wrote to Ms. Farhoumand-Sims to say “... I would
like to inform you that today I have transferred the school fees to the
school account for Ramson for one year, and now looking at the
possibility of buying a motorcycle. I’m asking in stores to find the
cheapest. I also bought Edwin school clothes, and essential school
supplies. My boys are very happy and send lots of thanks to you and
your family and community.” Edward subsequently wrote to say that he
has bought a used motorcycle and has started to work, and is now
without stress.
The moral of the story? The world is smaller than it appears, we are
all interconnected, and everyone can make a difference.
Junior Youth Empowerment Program
(JYEP) is a program that engages youth 11-15 in seeing and developing
their power for self-expression, moral reasoning, and talents and
channeling these into social activism and community service. Led by
youth mentors, each week the group studies materials to initiate
discussions on how to navigate the complex world we live in, resisting
the negative forces in the world, and promoting social progress. The
Alta Vista JYEP is held every Wednesday from 5-6:30 p.m. and all are
welcome. If you’d like more information, please contact Cheshmak
Farhoumand-Sims at cheshmak@gmail.com.
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