A group of University of British Columbia students are encouraging their schoolmates to make a difference in their community by raising money for B.C. Children’s Hospital at the AMS Block Party on the UBC campus.
The campaign, titled Prove your Potential, is headed by ten students who want to give back to a cause that has touched their lives.
The team, along with a group of more than 50 volunteers, will be selling T-shirts on campus on today and tomorrow for 10 dollars each, with all proceeds going towards the B.C. Children’s Hospital Capital Campaign. The profit from the shirts will go towards the reconstruction of the hospital.
Choosing to support the hospital was an “easy” and “obvious” choice, given that many of the team members have some type of connection with the facilities, either as a volunteer or patient.
“When I was 14, I was diagnosed with a blood vessel disease that, if untreated, could cause me to stroke and possibly die,” said project team member Vivian Luk. “After two years of various tests, a small team of neurologists finally found out what was wrong.”
After undergoing an operation that put an end to the headaches and spells of paralysis that Luk suffered, she felt “deeply grateful for what they had done for me and other children.
“The least I can do is play a small part in what I consider to be a very inspiring and positive project,” said Luk.
Prove your Potential is a challenge proposed by the group to others, but it also starts with themselves.
“Potential is within all of us, and we want to challenge others to fully take advantage of it, and to show the world what they can do with it,” said director Carmen Li.
The project slogan is visible on the T-shirt design.
“Children are to our future what blocks are to a building, which are materials for a solid foundation” said Li. “Just like the way blocks can be used to build anything from toy houses to magnificent skyscrapers, children also have the potential to achieve any goal.”
For more information or to purchase a T-shirt online, visit proveyourpotential.ca.
