“Pay It Forward” is a heartwarming novel that inspires individuals to give back and spread kindness. It encourages people to pay forward a good deed done to them by performing a kind act for someone else, even if it’s not the original benefactor. Isabella Stanisic, a teacher at St. Mary’s, introduced this book to her grade 5/6 religion class and shared a real-life example of this concept in action. Isabella shared a story from her own life in which she collaborated with Sister Shelley Lawrence, the school chaplain, to organize a fundraising event that profoundly impacted their school community. She also shared other instances where Shelley’s caring and loving nature had significantly influenced her life.
The Class Takes the Lead
The students’ drive to make a concrete impact led them to organize a creative fundraiser. Rather than simply collecting money, they gathered physical items to donate to a local charity. After researching local charities, they chose the St. Joe’s Women’s Centre as the recipient of their donations. The students donated non-perishable healthy snacks and toiletries in the spirit of the upcoming Lenten season. When they presented their idea to Principal Traci Nehme of St. Mary’s, she offered her full support.
Daily Reminders
To keep the momentum alive and encourage school-wide participation, the grade 5/6 students participated in the morning announcements throughout Lent, broadcasting daily reminders about Shelley’s Gift to the other classes. One of the students even designed a logo for the project. As donations arrived at the school, they helped to box them up and later loaded them into cars for delivery to St. Joe’s.
Spreading the Word
The school set a target of collecting 500 items, but the effort turned into something much larger than expected. Sister Shelley, who had served as a chaplaincy leader in four different high schools for 25 years and then as an OCSB Trustee for five years, was a well-liked member of the OCSB community. Sadly, she passed away due to cancer in May of the previous year. Numerous staff members learned about the initiative through shared posts on Twitter/X and decided to participate. Contributions poured in from various sources.
Cathryn Wake, the Education Coordinator, kicked off a donation drive at the Board office, and the response was terrific. Father Matthew from Our Lady of Visitation parish heard of the school’s project and spread the word to his church community, resulting in even more generous donations.
Principal Joanne Blackburn of St. Anne School heard of the initiative on social media. She was so inspired that she rallied her staff to pitch in too, even though they had already chosen another cause for their Lenten initiative. The students of St. Anne School were also eager to help and decided to create Easter baskets for families in need. When all was said and done, the students created 47 baskets! Mrs. Blackburn and the grade 4 teacher, Chantal Remo, delivered the baskets to St. Mary’s despite the 30 km journey from Kanata to Greely. What a heartwarming example of the power of a community coming together for a great cause!
A Legacy that Lives On
By the end of Lent, “Shelley’s Gift” surpassed its initial goal by a significant margin, collecting a remarkable 4,340 items and 50 Easter baskets for those in need. It was an example of how each of us had the power to pay it forward and create positive change for others. This overwhelming success inspired the school to establish this as an annual tradition at St. Mary’s, a testament to the enduring impact of Sister Shelley’s legacy.
As Easter approached, these educators and principals, who might otherwise never have met, loaded their cars and drove all the donations to St. Joe’s. Reflecting afterward, Mrs. Blackburn remarked on how moving the experience was. “We all felt Shelley’s presence, which was the greatest gift, as we all knew how much she would have loved this.”