By: Justin Boone
jboone@ticats.ca
On Monday afternoon, Jesse Lumsden was joined by Rick Campanelli, Brian Melo, and Mayor Fred Eisenberger to kickoff the Hamilton-Halton-Niagara 2600 Campaign.
The Ticats running back took the stage in front of 700 high school students at Sir Allan MacNab Secondary, to discuss the humanitarian trip he took to El Salvador, in 2007.
“I got involved when World Vision approached me, and offered the opportunity to go for a visit and see what it’s all about and what can be done to help these people in need,” said Lumsden.
“I saw the areas that haven’t been affected by World Vision yet, and that’s what this 2600 campaign is all about, it’s sponsoring the 2,600 kids that are in major need and that need the clean drinking water, that need to go to school. The basic needs we all take for granted.”
World Vision hopes that students and their families across Hamilton will be hungry for change.
The 2600 campaign is intended to raise awareness among local residents about issues affecting children in developing countries and to encourage them to sponsor children in need through World Vision. The deadline for the program is March 15.
Sir Allan MacNab was chosen as the launch site because the students will be taking part in the World Vision 30 Hour Famine, which will be held April 11-12. The fundraising event involves over 100,000 students from across Canada annually, and is intended to give students a point of empathy to share with those in need, and hopefully drive them to want to make a difference.
“When they go 30 hours without solid food, they experience hunger pains. They experience what 850 million people around the world suffer from every single day, chronic hunger,” explained Kevin Chan, World Vision’s Ontario regional manager.
In his first appearance with the relief, development, and advocacy organization, Brian Melo entertained the crowd with three of his songs. He also was able to talk to Lumsden and Campanelli about their trips, and hopes to make a similar trek of his own in 2008.
“This is my first event, but it’s been close to my heart for a long time. My parents have been sponsoring kids from World Vision for the past, almost 30 years,” said the Canadian Idol star. “Hopefully I can do something like Jesse going down to El Salvador and actually seeing people right down in the heartland.”
To find out more about Lumsden’s World Vision trip to El Salvador, check out Ticats.ca in the coming weeks for the February issue of the Black and Gold magazine, which will include photos and a journal written by Jesse during his time there.
To get involved in the 2600 Campaign or simply to find more information on the work being done by World Vision, log on to their website by clicking here.
