Yonge Street Mission Holding Fundraiser To Expand Scholarship Program
Posted October 29, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It’s given a lot of kids a lot of hope.
But there’s always room for more.
That’s why the Yonge Street Mission is holding a fundraiser at the Royal Ontario Museum Thursday, in the hopes of raising funds to expand its scholarship program.
It’s an initiative worth fundraising for and if you disagree, Ismail Aboobakker might convince you otherwise.
The Regent Park youth remembers all too well growing up downtown, dreaming of going to college with his friends. He was the only one who got there.
“Four of them died, two of them are in the whole street game and I don’t really see them anymore,” he admits.
“We’ve all had big dreams, but I’m the only one that’s in university right now.”
Part of the reason why is the Mission. He credits the safe haven with not only helping him qualify for a scholarship, but for teaching him to persevere.
“They’ve been able to take the perception of crime, drugs, violence that everybody looks at when they see Regent Park and now they’re giving us a chance to turn it into doctors, lawyers, teachers.”
Thirty students qualify for this year’s scholarships but the Mission hopes to expand that for next.
For more on the cause, click here.
