Youths continue to find ways to help out children in need continued from p.8 various campaigns; fundraised for clean water in India; organized Oakville youths to build 4,000 household protection kits to send to West Africa; and collected more than 25,000 school, food and clothing items for children in Canada and across the globe. Inspiring agents for change "Through their speaking engagements at schools, stadiums and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, they have inspired almost half a million people to become active agents of social change," Ameeta wrote in her nomination of her boys. The brothers were recipients of a YMCA Peace Medallion recently, where they shared with the audience how seeing extreme poverty in India years ago didn't set well with them. "Meeting children there and hearing their stories, that was what made us realize we couldn't just return to Canada and live our daily lives, we had to do something," said Ishan, 13, who attends Fern Hill School. "The best way to do something was with our community," he added. It was then the brothers gathered three friends and formed EveryChildNow, which has now grown to include a network of 70 youths, aged nine to 16 years, from 20 different schools across the GTA, including Maple Grove Public, Fern Hill, White Oaks Secondary, St. Mildred's-Lightbourn, and Oakville Trafalgar High schools, Appleby College, and Hillfield Strathallan College in Hamilton. New campaign to welcome Syrian refugees Vishal and Ishan are currently putting together a campaign to welcome the children of Syrian refugees to Canada by collecting winter clothing, raising funds to build welcome kits to be delivered and engaging students from Halton Region to help them welcome letters. "We hope you'll join us in our current national campaign to lend a helping hand to the children refugees coming to Canada," said Vishal, 15, who attends Oakville Trafalgar High School. "We're assembling care packages and welcome packages so that way they can come to Canada, return to school and realize how great of a country Canada is." For a complete list of all the finalists of the Junior Citizen awards, visit www.ocna.org/ en/2015JCAnnouncement. 11 | Thursday, February 4, 2016 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com NEW! UNfiNishEd italiaN madE fUrNitUrE. Since 1967 upholstery & design diNiNg room tablEs, Chairs, barstools, bENChEs & morE! Choose your stain & fabric! 1000's of designer fabrics to choose. CUstom fiNishiNg! AUTOGRAPHS LIVE MUSIC FREE HOT CHOCOLATE FAMILY FUN 11-2345 Wyecroft Rd, Oakville · 905.616.3156 · www.baiers.ca FOUNDED IN 1857 CELEBRATE PANCAKE DAY WITH US OAKVILLE 146 Lakeshore Rd. W. 905.338.6333 ON TUESDAY FEBRUARY 9TH FROM 7AM TO 3PM