Webequie teen plans walk to raise money for arena
Judith Beaver says her fundraising walk will be in memory of two young people from her community
A Grade 9 student from Webequie First Nation, in Ontario's far north, plans to walk from Pickle Lake to Ottawa in order to raise money for an arena in her community.
15-year-old Judith Beaver said she and a group of supporters hope to make the trek in the summer of 2016, fundraising along the way.
A new arena would make a big difference for the remote community, said Beaver, where there's little for young people to do, and winter sports have to be played on an outdoor rink. "Every winter kids go home with frostbite and the rink is always covered in snow," she said.
The walk-a-thon is also in memory of two teenagers from her community, she added: one, a close cousin she lost over the winter, the other Jordan Wabasse, who died in Thunder Bay in 2011.
Raising the money for the arena is her main focus for the future. "It's my dream," said Beaver.
Leadership recognized with award
The plan for a walk-a-thon was announced on April 16 at a ceremony where Beaver also received a leadership award from DAREarts, a Canadian charity that empowers youth through art.
"They helped me deal with the struggles I used to feel," said Beaver.
The program helped her to focus on positive activities, and to build confidence, she said.