A few months into COVID19, Josh Sud and Lexie Cooper reimagined their plans for their summer before starting law school in September. With their plans to go to Israel with Birthright derailed, they found themselves with unexpected time and energy on their hands and they got involved with UJA Genesis Community Accelerator Program. The program provides opportunities for community members to design their own volunteer-driven solutions to key community challenges.
Recognizing that COVID19 has impacted everyone, Josh and Lexie were eager to provide support to those who were particularly vulnerable.
“There are times that we’ve been bored and [because] we don’t have compromised immune systems, we can get together with our friends in the backyard and sit six feet apart,” they explained. “We can do that. When you have a compromised immune system, you can’t even do that.”
And so they set out to do something for those who have to be extraordinarily careful and as such are extraordinarily isolated….and bored. In recognizing that much of the focus for support from the government has been financial for families who are struggling, they wanted to do something for the children.Â
“People are struggling to pay their bills, they’re not going to spend money to buy crafts and activities to do at home." - Lexie Cooper
They launched a campaign to raise money to create arts and crafts packages for teens that would be stimulating, creative and engaged. That included paint by numbers and Rubik’s Cubes. They set up a page on our support platform for A and C for CLC and reached out to their family, friends and personal networks via email and social media. In less than a week they crushed their original goal of $3000 and then upped it to $5000, which was surpassed shortly after.
In the weeks that followed they got busy sourcing and ordering the items and took over Lexie’s family living room to assemble them the gift packages that took 3 jam-packed cars to deliver to Chai Lifeline Canada. Our team of volunteers in Toronto and Montreal have been dropping them off to Chai families who continue to be among the most impacted by COVID19 distancing regulations.
For Josh and Lexie, this is just the beginning. “To be involved in something and spend our summer giving back, has encouraged and inspired us to think about other ways they can give back throughout the year.”
On behalf of our team and families, thank you Josh and Lexie. Wishing you all the best as you head into year one of law school!
Toronto
300A Wilson Ave.
Toronto, Ontario, M3H 1S8
Phone: 647.430.5933
Fax: 416.628.1597
Montreal
4900 Jean Talon Ouest, #220 Montreal, Quebec H4P 1W9
Phone: 514.667.7041
1 (800) 556-6238
[email protected]
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At Chai Lifeline Canada we are passionately devoted to alleviating the burden of those facing medical challenge. From the moment of diagnosis, through the arduous months and years, in good times and bad, Canadian families have discovered that Chai Lifeline Canada is a friend for life.
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Toronto
300A Wilson Ave. Toronto, Ontario, M3H 1S8
Phone: 647.430.5933
Montreal
4900 Jean Talon Ouest, #220 Montreal, Quebec H4P 1W9
Phone: 514.667.7041
Crisis Intervention
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1 (800) 556-6238