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INUVIK
After almost 10 months of fundraising, seven students from Samuel Hearne Secondary School are only about $2,000 away from their $60,000 goal to embark on a life-changing experience.

Coun. Vince Sharpe surprises Meredith Baxter, centre, and Amie Charlie at council's committee of the whole meeting Monday with a donation of almost $5,000 toward seven high school students' trip to Ethiopia to volunteer at an orphanage. - Katherine Hudson/NNSL photo

The group is heading to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia through Projects Abroad – an international humanitarian organization – to volunteer at an orphanage.

The group raised about $12,000 at Saturday night's African dinner and silent auction and was at council's committee of the whole meeting on Monday night to let council know the fundraising progress.

Council had promised $1,000 if the group reached $59,000, enough to top them up to $60,000. Council members said the high school team had worked so hard over the past 10 months through fundraising, planning events and preparing for this journey, that they would donate the $1,000 even though they still had a ways to go.

Coun. Vince Sharpe then took out cash and counted out almost $5,000 which he put toward the trip.

The reaction was a gasp of unbelievable shock and then tears of gratitude and hugs from the members of the high school who attended.

Sharpe is known for his philanthropic work in the communities and especially for youth through generous donations.

"We got a surprise from Vince Sharpe and what can I say, they've just lifted a huge load from our shoulders because had we not got that extra money then that would have meant that we would have had to really, really do other things in addition to our raffle," said Zahra Khimji, a teacher-adviser who will accompany the students to Africa.

"I'm so so grateful to Vince Sharpe. I'd heard of his heroic personality and I've just got to experience that," she said.

She also acknowledged the town's donation, although the group has not reached its goal yet.

Sharpe said he's only happy to give back to the next generation after living in the community for the past 43 years.

"It's all about children," he said.

"We want to see them succeed and this is a good eye-opener for those children. I'm all about giving to children. The children are our future."

The group is currently selling tickets for a raffle with prizes ranging from an iPad 2, an iPhone 4S and a gas card.

The group of nine – including teacher-advisers Patrick Gauley-Gale and Khimji, and students David Neyando, Amie Charlie, Dana King-Simpson, Meredith Baskin, Allison Baetz, Karlie Robert and Rebecca Baxter – start their big adventure on March 28 at 12 p.m. They will head to Whitehorse, Vancouver, London and finally, Ethiopia. The students will be living at Kidane Mihret Orphanage where they will start a vegetable garden, build furniture and extend the existing library.

The group will teach at a school, coach sports, volunteer at a hospital and prepare and serve lunch to 40 to 50 children.

"I think it's going to be an good eye-opening experience," said Baetz.

"It'll change how we look at things when we come back. All of us here are going to be looking at our community in a different way and make us realize how much more we should appreciate what we've got."

The group will be able to travel to lakes and hike a mountain while in the country as well. On their way home, they will have a day in London to take in the sites such as Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace.

Then there are three days set aside in Vancouver, where the high school students are scheduled to tour universities and colleges before returning home.

"When you have the kids at this point in their lives, they're not quite sure what they want to do. We're hoping that with this trip, they have that 'a-ha'v moment and they realize their dream or their potentials," said Khimji.

The group said they're feeling a jumble of emotions from nervousness to excitement. They are getting their to-do lists ready and starting to pack. But they are still selling their raffle tickets and working to raise as much as they can until the last minute.

One thing is for certain, this trip – which for most of the students will be their first time outside of North America – will give them a chance to change the world, but also grow and change themselves in the process.

"When we leave Ethiopia, we're not going to just leave with all that we came with," said Charlie, who was at council Monday night to receive the monetary donation.

"We're going to leave part of us in a way and bring back part of them, too. So, we're going to always carry that with us. It's going to change all of our lives."

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