Making Dreams Come True

GNS Grade 5 student Chanel Lafrance raised over $1,000 last weekend, which she’ll be using to grant wishes to children with cancer and other chronic illnesses. Chanel set up her fundraiser at the Deepak Chopra event at UVic, hosted by I Am Genie, an organization that has granted hundreds of wishes to inspiring and deserving recipients across North America over the past few years. We sat down with Chanel to ask her a few questions and learn more about what motivated her to take action towards this incredible cause. What inspired you to raise money for this cause?CL: My mom asked I Am Genie if I could grant a wish for a kid, since the organization typically grants wishes to adults and I thought kids should be included too, and then I came up with the idea to raise money by baking cupcakes. I baked 149 cupcakes, which took me all day long and after a full day of baking, I was so excited to bring them to the event and see how many I could sell and how much money I could fundraise. At first there were very few people purchasing the cupcakes, so I asked I Am Genie’s founder Joshua if I could speak to the crowd (over 1,000 people) to share more about the cause with them and generate some enthusiasm within the crowd. Were you nervous to speak to such a large crowd? How did it go?CL: I wasn’t actually all that nervous because I think it’s an awesome organization and I really wanted people to learn more about it. My speech was quite successful—afterwards, the line-up at my table was non-stop and even though I was asking for a $2 donation for each cupcake, lots of people donated more than that. How much money did you raise and what will it go towards?CL: I raised over $1,019 and we’re going to choose a kid from the hospital or a clinic and grant them a wish using that money. We can either choose one kid and make it a big wish, or choose five and make them smaller wishes. Have you done other fundraising in the past?CL: This was my first fundraiser, but I’ve volunteered a lot before. One of my favourite trips was volunteering in Mexico building houses after a hurricane. Based on the success of this event, do you think you’ll do more fundraisers?CL: Yes, I want to do more fundraisers, both out in the community and at GNS. What do you enjoy doing outside of school?CL: I love swimming, going on trips and drawing. And baking, of course! It’s clear that Chanel is a caring, compassionate and motivated young girl who has a bright future ahead of her. GNS teacher Michelle Crow, who taught Chanel in Grade 3, states, “I’m so proud of Chanel for taking the initiative to start ‘Genie Kids’ and for all of her hard work putting together this fundraiser. She’s always been someone who cares deeply about others, and it was amazing to see her captivate the attention of such a large crowd at the event and inspire them to take action.”Chanel is certainly a student to watch and we’re looking forward to hearing more about her work with ‘Genie Kids’ and the wonderful wishes that she grants!