Students at Winkler Elementary School are celebrating the success of their Youth in Philanthropy (YIP) project after raising over $900 for two beloved community organizations — the Pembina Valley Humane Society and Katie Cares.
Baking, selling, and giving back
Grade 8 student Marshall Janzen shared, “We did 3 fundraisers this year. We did the bake sale for Pembina Valley Humane Society where we raised $517. We did a Valentine's Day candy gram sale for Katie Cares Foundation that was $160.95. And then we did a candy cart sale for Katie Cares Foundation, which raised $223.25.”.
The total came to $901.20 — all raised from inside the school. “We just sold it class per class. We didn't even go outside of the school,” said Grade 7 student Lance Tianchon. “Knowing that a small group of people saved that up by just doing some bake sales and selling some suckers — that amount of money is just... it's just crazy.”
For both students, the experience was about more than fundraising. “It makes me feel good and that I'm a good person and I've helped people out in the world,” said Janzen.
Tianchon added, “It just feels awesome, knowing that you helped a ton of people. Honestly, it just makes me happy, makes everyone happy.”
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Charity representatives grateful for student support
Jennifer Young, shelter manager at Pembina Valley Humane Society, was moved by the donation. “Coming here to receive a wonderful donation from the YIP program — it is unbelievable. The people in the community and everybody in Winkler, Morden, and the surrounding areas are so generous,” said Young.
“The fact that these students took time out of their days and worked towards just anything — and then choosing us to donate some of that money to — is amazing. It's fantastic. It's going to help us so much,” she added.
Young noted that the shelter is primarily donation- and volunteer-run, and the funds will go a long way — especially with 20 kittens currently in their care. “Whether it's kitten food and formula — it goes a long way. Absolutely excellent.”
Ruth Reimer, CEO of Katie Cares, also reflected on the personal meaning of the moment. “It is truly an honor to be here today. Kaitlyn was a student from K-8 here at WES and she was part of one of the first Youth in Philanthropy groups,” said Reimer.
“So it's come full circle, which is very cool — to walk in the doors at WES and see these kids and that they're working towards something and learning about giving back to their community,” she said.
Reimer shared that the donation will support their Beanie Babies program. “Kids giving back to kids — that’s what it's all about. We are truly grateful for any donations that we get. And this one is a special one.”
Encouraging the next generation
Both Janzen and Tianchon said they joined Youth in Philanthropy to help the community — and would encourage others to do the same.
“My siblings have told me before that's just a fun thing to help with the community with and I just thought I would try it,” said Janzen.
Tianchon added, “I would honestly recommend a lot of people. I’ll convince them to join this. It’s hard work, but at the end of the day, it just makes you understand that you helped a lot of people. And that just makes me happy.”
With files from Robyn Wiebe
