Free the Children Founder Visits Local School District

Kelowna, Canada, March 16, 2009 --(PR.com)-- The energy was bursting at the seams as Leadership students from Mount Boucherie Secondary School stood together in a sea of green ‘Be the Change’ shirts and welcomed students from all over the District. They clapped, cheered and high fived fellow students as they walked the path to the gymnasium where Craig Kielburger, founder of Free the Children, would address them.
Craig Kielburger founded Free the Children at age 12 and since then Free The Children has become the world’s leading youth-driven charity, inspiring an entire generation to stand up and have their voices heard.

As Craig took the stage his passion surged through the audience. While sharing stories of child soldiers in Colombia and of those brave children who have stood for peace even in the face of grave consequences, you could have heard a pin drop. He captivated the audience of over a thousand young people. His story is a true example of the power within a child’s hands- the power to change the world.

With the involvement of more than a thousand Youth in Action Groups, Free The Children has built more than 500 schools throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America, providing daily education to more than 50,000 children. Through its Adopt a Village development model, it has established more than 23,000 alternative income projects to assist women and their families in achieving sustainable incomes. Craig is also the Co-founder and Director of Me to We. Me to We: [Responsible Style] is a new social enterprise that is committed to providing ethically manufactured, quality apparel for the socially-conscious and 50% of the net profits goes to Free The Children.

Dare to Be, a local woman led company, www.daretobe.ca supports Free the Children through their Me to We clothing line with Dare to Be signature messages. With every sale, 50% of their purchase has gone to help provide a brighter future for children all over the world. Dare to Be believes that to find real joy in this life you must give back. To support their philosophy fully they also donate a percentage of all their profits to kiva.org, a micro-credit loan company for individuals in third world countries to start or improve their businesses. They are also making dreams come true through their Dare to Dream contest, www.daretobe.ca/events-and-contests. For more information about Craig Kielburger and Free The Children please visit www.freethechildren.com.

###