Whether delivered
at a swanky gala at the Fairmont Palliser hotel in Calgary or in a small-town classroom, Sam’s
message is straightforward: “My theory is that life is like a lottery and we
got the winning ticket, but you could share your prize with everyone,” she
said.
Her philanthropic ethos runs against the prevailing view of the so-called
Millennial Me demographic – those supposedly fixated on consumer culture,
tethered to cellphones and inflated by a sense of entitlement. But while Sam’s
accomplishments set her apart, she is far from being the lone giver in a
generation often described as takers.
Young Canadians form a “powerhouse of giving,” according to a 2008 survey
commissioned by Mackenzie Investments, which sponsors a yearly contest to
highlight Canada’s
top teen philanthropists. They’re donating time – 100 million hours a year – and
money, with the approximately three million Canadians between 13 and 19 giving
an average of $293 a year, while engaging in fundraising activities that
contribute an additional $516.
“Because of trends in social media, today’s teens have a powerful understanding
of how to harness people behind a cause,” said Brad Offman, who oversees the
competition for Mackenzie Investments. “They’re driven by the fact that they
truly believe they can make a difference.”
Sam has a similar take.
“Adults think with their heads; kids think with their hearts,” she said.
“Whenever I’m telling my story to kids, it’s not, ‘What’s my financial
obligation?’ It’s just, ‘What can I do now?’ ”
Looking to tap into this action-based altruism is a wide range of
organizations, from churches and service clubs to youth-driven global
initiatives such as Free the Children – whose co-founder Craig Kielburger will
help choose 2011’s Top Teen Philanthropist.
But while Mr. Kielburger and other high-profile activists provide
inspiration, it’s family members who are the most powerful charitable role
models – the number of teens in the survey who said they were motivated by
celebrities dropped to 5 per cent in 2009 from 11 per cent in 2008.
Sam’s grassroots philanthropy was sparked when her grandparents showed her a
video on the efforts of Room to Read, an international literacy charity founded
by former Microsoft executive John Wood. Sam, then in Grade 6, announced to her
mother that she was going to raise money to build a school for Sherpa children.
“She picked Nepal
because it was the cheapest place to build,” said Pauline Terry, who encouraged
her daughter to come up with a fundraising plan.
Sam chose public speaking. “I grew up in a family where the supper table is
never quiet and in a small town where your voice gets heard a lot,” said Sam,
whose Grade 9 graduating class had 12 students.
Impressed, the Calgary West Rotary Club has
tapped the teen to assist them in their efforts to build a high school in Nepal
in partnership with the Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation. In April, more than 40
participants from Southern Alberta will be making a bucket-list journey from Kathmandu to Everest Base Camp. In keeping with Rotary’s
motto, “Service Above Self,” each trekker will donate $2,500 to the building
fund. Sam, who will be in school and unable to join them, committed to raising
$15,000 for school supplies.
For this project, Sam decided to forgo adults and appeal directly to kids.
The cheques are smaller, but the positive peer pressure more than makes up for
it. She’s already raised $7,502 – one school, one loonie at a time. “To most
people that’s not a big deal, but when you add it all up, it’s significant,”
she said.
Sam also set two rules for herself:
1, the fundraising couldn’t interfere
with basketball; and
2, she wouldn’t speak at her own school. “With the
Rotarians, I’m Sam Terry, the girl who builds schools in Nepal,” she
said. “To my friends, I’m just Sam, the same as everyone else.”
