According to The Link Paper “ When students from David Thompson and John Oliver High School Sikh Clubs heard the story of Victor Ghirra Toy Drive, they felt inspired to collect toys to bring Christmas cheer to more kids in need. They decided to help local elementary school children in need.
Victor was involved in many philanthropic initiatives, but one good cause that Victor was really touched by was the BC Children’s Hospital. He bought toys worth thousands of dollars every Christmas and donated them to the hospital for children that needed them. He would never tell them who he was or where the toys were from. It was later found that Victor had made trips to the hospital for over a dozen years.
Mr. Aman Grewal, David Thompson Teacher and Sikh Club Sponsor said: “The David Thompson and John Oliver Sikh Club kids enjoyed collecting toys to honor Victor’s vision and love for giving. It profoundly changed both groups having seen what quiet service like Victor’s can do to change a community to envision a common goal for the good.”
Students made announcements at their schools, shared posts on social media, spread word to their families, and friends, and started collection boxes at their schools. The collection of toys started out slow, but as awareness grew more people learned why students were collecting toys and the boxes started filling up.
The toy drive was only one of the many events that David Thompson Sikh Club has done over the school year. Founded in 2014 by Mr. Grewal, the Sikh Clubs aimed to give students a place to come together and share their cultural identity. Mr. Grewal wanted to let students know they are capable of anything in this world and set their sights on any positive path; they can achieve it. The club aims to promote education, self-growth and realizing youth’s potential.
“I wanted to show students a truer image of Sikhi. My goal was to create visible unity amongst them as a starting point to address behaviors that were counterproductive to their interests. Sikh Club, in the spirit of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, will give (not receive) and will donate endlessly without “fundraising.” The Guru’s treasures are vast, and I have always guided students to know that Sikh’s have always been the heroes for all, the warriors for justice, and the bearers of that burden. We do not complain, we do not say we can’t. We envision, pray, and watch Guru Ji’s magic unfold,” he said.
Sikh Club creates a positive space for students to be themselves, work together and give back to the community. At David Thompson Secondary School, the students have celebrated Vaisakhi, Diwali and Gurpurab with their school community
Through Sikh Club students learn what selfless service is about. For students it’s not about getting recognition for the work, it’s about doing ‘seva’ for the community. That’s why the students were so touched by Victor Ghirra’s story – how he selflessly gave to BC Children’s Hospital year after year without any form of recognition. Students came together and made a difference just the way Victor would of.
Students contacted local elementary schools to find out how they could help. Elementary School Administrators gave wish lists from students whose families need some support during the holidays. The local high schools’ Sikh Club toy collections were put into the grand toy count for the 17th Annual Victor Ghirra Toy Drive for 25 good causes – where there were 2,600 toys gathered together. From there, the wish lists of the elementary schools were taken and fulfilled in addition to the toys collected by the Sikh Clubs.
Last week, both high school Sikh Clubs visited elementary schools to deliver the toys. There was joy on the faces of Administrators when they saw the toy collections that students brought in. The actions of these Sikh Clubs is making an impact over the holidays for dozens of students in the community.
In addition to the toy drive, Sikh Club students will reach out to elementary schools to do: mentorship programs, get involved in sports and community events.
Mr. Grewal hopes to support and help other high schools in British Columbia create Sikh clubs to do noble deeds in the community. If you would like to get involved or help support Sikh Club’s community outreach please email: asgrewal@vsb.bc.ca
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