Our Heroes

Small Feet, Big Strides:
The Guru Gobind Singh Children's Foundation

by SHAGORIKA EASWAR

 

Many immigrant parents worry about their children not being in touch with their roots; they grumble about them not being traditional enough.

Kulwant Kaur and Tanvir Singh Bhangoo have a different story to share. When the couple decided to move from Scarborough to Brampton (in Ontario, Canada), their daughter tried very hard to persuade them not to move, because she didn't want to leave her friends at the gurdwara.

"I'd been involved with the activities at the gurdwara and at the Guru Gobind Singh Children's Foundation (GGSCF) since a very young age - since I was five or six - and when they wanted to move when I was in grade 8, I was seriously upset!" laughs Amritvir Kaur Bhangoo.

It all began with the kirtan classes at the Scarborough gurdwara.

There to learn devotional songs, Amrit interacted with older kids who organized camps and other activities for kids.

"You start participating in the CN Tower Stair Climb and the charity runs, etc., you become friends. It was very hard to leave," she recalls.

[The CN Tower - located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada - is the world's tallest free-standing structure on land in the world. More than 553 metres (1815 feet) high, it has six elevators which take up all the visitors to the top. But, it also has 1776 stairs as an alternative and  emergency measure.]  

However, the move turned out to be a very positive one for all the members of the Sikh community in the West End, as it led to the opening of branches of the GGSCF in Brampton.

Amrit became the youngest board member at 18 and, now at 21, continues to be involved with the Foundation's initiatives.

The five board members, says Amrit, ensure that things are running smoothly at the children-run charity.

"The initiative, and the ideas are those of the kids, we provide the guidance and the support," she says.

For instance, if a young volunteer wants to get involved with the Guru Nanak Walk, the board will connect him or her with the Parks Authority and also with those who did the walk the previous year.

"It's about pointing them in the right direction," says Amrit.

As a member of the GGSCF herself, Amrit has participated in every single run and CN Tower Stair Climb to raise funds for charitable causes; she has helped organize camps at the gurdwara and day trips for seniors.

"We take all the seniors to Niagara Falls and to see the floral clock. There's a picnic lunch and seniors read their poems, the kids perform skits ... it's a very rewarding and fun experience.

"Young people can be very creative," says the 20-year-old sagely. "Youth groups at the GGSCF have done skits to highlight issues such as the cultural differences between kids, to make parents understand what children go through."

The biggest event being planned for 2009 is the Run Across Canada.

Kids who want to participate in it have already formed teams and begun training to get in shape for the run that will take place from July 1 to August 31, starting in Newfoundland on the Atlantic Coast, ending in British Columbia on the Pacific Coast. Funds thus raised will support children's hospitals en route and aid kids by helping build a school via Plan Canada for underprivileged children.

There's no formal registration of members and everyone is welcome to attend. Members range in age from six or seven to 18 and some parents attend as well. Some come to every meeting and others, when they can.

With less than 50 core members, the GGSCF is not a large group, as Amrit says. The group's impact, however, is huge and wide-ranging.

Amrit, who is studying Business Administration at Guelph Humber and wants to go into international business, says she sees herself still being involved with the Foundation years down the road.

"I see it as helping me apply and live Guru Gobind Singh's teachings in my everyday life.

"Guru Gobind Singh ji taught us to be a part of society but to stand out by virtue of our actions and our commitment to good causes. To lead by example. And I see all the young people involved with the GGSCF making that extra effort. They show compassion, they show humanity, they are all going to be great leaders one day.

"As for me, being involved with GGSCF helps me stay grounded; it defines who I am."

Sundeep Singh Sandher, 19, a student of kinesiology at the University of Waterloo, has been involved with the Guru Gobind Singh Children's Foundation since he was around 10 years old.

"My mamaji, Surjit Singh Hayre, was very keen that I join. When he heard that a branch was opening up in Brampton, he took me along to a meeting to see what I thought of the idea. It was a perfect fit."

Sundeep, known as Sunny to all his friends, says he enjoyed the first meeting so much, he's been passionate about the organization's cause and activities ever since.

He's been associated with many events the branch has held since its incepton.

The annual Guru Nanak Food Drive, held to mark the Guru's birthday, collects non-perishable food for the Daily Bread Food Bank.

The target the youth members of the organization set themselves is 10,000 pounds of food  each year, and they've met or exceeded their target.

"I remember the year I volunteered three years ago. We announced the drive at the gurdwaras and set up donation boxes. Periodically, volunteers emptied the boxes and tallied the donations and that year, too, we exceeded our target."

Sunny is also happy about the fact that the annual food drive has helped change the profile of the donations to the Daily Bread Food Bank. The atta, dal and chaawal that the community donates helps feed the needy from the community who depend on the food bank.

"When you put a cause in front of our community, they always step up," says Sunny with supreme confidence.

The GGSCF holds the CN Tower Stair Climb each April to benefit the World Wildlife Fund. All the money raised through pledges and donations, as well as half the registration amount, goes to help finance the World Wildlife Fund's initiatives.

Sunny has scaled the Toronto landmark several times.

"There are so many steps! You feel awesome when you get to the top! My best time was when I was 17 - I did it in 14 minutes!"

The first year the GGSCF organized an event, it was a run from Toronto to Ottawa. The run took one week to complete, raising  $150,000. 

"It was raining and people were asking if we were still going to go ahead with the run," recalls Sunny.

"But you should have seen the enthusiasm among the volunteers - the energy levels were amazing! I actually ended up participating with my mamaji."

He describes the Foundation as a close-knit unit.

"The first meeting I attended, I was shy going in. But the friends I made that day are my friends to date. They are like family.

"The Foundation was started to mark the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Khalsa in 1999. The younger members of the community were looking for a way to get the community involved in making the world a better place. They adopted the motto, Children Helping Children.

"Everyone you meet is a role model. Everyone has something to contribute. Everyone is striving for the same goal."

To date, the Foundation has raised over $1.3 million for various causes around the globe.

 

• To learn more about The Guru Gobind Singh Children's Foundation, please visit http://www.ggscf.com/, or call 1.905.201.0755 or 1.800.684.0048.

[This article first appeared in the April 2009 issue of Desi News. Photos: courtesy - Nari Mavalwalla and GGSCF.]

April 8, 2009

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