By Marlysse Trampf
Special to the Chronicle
A defunct program called Youth Cares has been revived at Southern Okanagan Secondary and Oliver Elementary schools.
Youth Cares is a program involving students in volunteering in the community and raising money for causes that they are passionate about.
This year, the kids have chosen to raise money for the charity “Water for South Sudan.” Oliver Elementary kids were inspired by the novel “A Long Walk to Water,” where people must walk six hours each day to obtain water that isn’t necessarily clean.
Water for South Sudan provides water for families in that region. For every $10 raised, one person will receive fresh water for life. The goal of Youth Cares is to raise enough money to install a well in a village.
“Installing a well will change the lives of people completely and they will no longer have to get water that is contaminated,” said Neha Chahal, the person who revived Youth Cares. “When I went to OES, I loved Youth Cares. We had so much fun participating and it felt good to give back; I hope the other high school students and I can pass on this passion to the younger kids.”
On February 15 Youth Cares hosted a “Move-a-Thon” where members moved for six hours to raise money for the cause, with a pizza break in between.
“We’re all really excited for this event and look forward to more involvement within the community,” Chahal said.
