Charitable Giving

Mackenzie names Canada’s Top Teen Philanthropist

Sophia Gran-Ruaz has helped thousands of children living in shelters

Seven years ago on a cold January day when Sophia Gran-Ruaz was just 10 years old, she began interviewing street people for a speech she was writing on homelessness. Deeply moved by their plight, she wanted to help but was told she was too young to volunteer. Undeterred, a year later she created Snug as a Bug, Kids Helping Kids, which today continues to provide care packages for children entering shelters across the Greater Toronto Area. "At 11 you’re not plagued by thoughts of failure or rejection, so when I asked for donations each 'no' only made me want to work harder for a 'yes' and it wasn't long before things started to snowball,” recalls Sophia, who was named Canada’s Top Teen Philanthropist in Mackenzie Investments’ second annual search. “The reward I’ve received is an example of how, with a little persistence,
we can give back to the community."

Now 17, Sophia is in her senior year at Mississauga’s John Cabot Catholic Secondary School. She hopes to become a surgeon and plans to study biomedical science at the University of Ottawa. In the meantime, she continues to operate Snug as a Bug, Kids Helping Kids out of her family’s home, with her mother Svenja acting as secretary.

Sophia spends most of her free time staying in contact with homeless shelters across the Toronto region and canvassing for donations. She has been highly successful: since 2004 her charity has distributed 10,000 care packages to children entering shelters, with another 3,000 expected to go out this year. She tries to ease the tension children face by getting the gift packages, which include new toys, books, clothes and school supplies, to them just as they are entering a shelter for the first time. Says Sophia: “It’s during these hours that the kids face the biggest change.”

In fact, Sophia says she originally named her charity Snug as a Bug because it had a cozy sound to it and she wanted her packages to be comforting during a difficult time in the recipient’s life. Adds Sophia: “I also hoped to add pajamas to my packages in the beginning because the kids often arrive at the shelters with nothing. But unfortunately, sleepwear was just too expensive to buy and I could not get enough donations.”

The busiest day of the year for the charity is what Sophia calls the “packing day.” That’s when 60 volunteers arrive at a school where the donations are stored and begin sorting and packaging them by age, from babies to teens. With Brink’s Canada supplying the transportation, the care packages are then loaded and delivered to various shelters. The volunteers, age 10 to 70, include students and teachers from Sophia’s school, neighbours and even people, who just happen to be in the school at the time, pitch in to help. “I had the determination to take on this task, but none of this would have been possible without the support of all the volunteers who help make the charity a reality,” says Sophia. “Together we are Snug as a Bug, Kids Helping Kids.”

In part, Sophia’s motivation comes from her family’s own experience with homelessness. “When I was 10 months old my mother and I were homeless,” says Sophia. “She would tell me that when walking down the street she was aware that the people around her probably all had homes, but she didn’t. That really struck a chord in me and that’s why I decided to focus on the homeless.”

She used to teach martial arts and has a black belt in taekwondo, but between completing high school and running her charity she doesn’t have a lot of time left over. In fact, the only break she takes is to watch her favourite show Grey’s Anatomy, during which she says “you can’t even ask me my name.” And despite the national recognition that her work has earned, Sophia remains modest and actually downplays her accomplishment. “I’m not special,” says Sophia. “I’ve done a lot of networking since I launched my charity and I know there are a lot of other young people doing wonderful things out there.”

Sophia’s generosity and determination is something that Brad Offman, Vice President, Strategic Philanthropy, Mackenzie Investments has found in many of the teenagers that he has met during his travels across Canada since Mackenzie launched the search two years ago. "Some of Canada's greatest philanthropic acts come from Canada's youngest citizens," says Offman. "The personal drive, dedication and creativity shown by teens, prove that a simple act by one person like Sophia can ignite the passion and support of many others."

Mackenzie donates to Sophia’s favourite charity

As Canada's Top Teen Philanthropist, Sophia received a $5,000 donation made in her name to Hockey For The Homeless, a volunteer-driven charitable organization dedicated to ending homelessness in Canada through fundraising and education. She also personally received $1,000, which will go towards her savings for post-secondary education.

Canada's teen philanthropists give the most

According to a poll done in support of the second annual search for Canada's Top Teen Philanthropist, young people lead all other age groups in their desire to help the less fortunate. Wanting to "help the community in which they live" continues to be the strongest motivator for teens to support a charity, followed closely by the "desire to make the world a better place." Meeting school requirements was rated the third most important motivator.

Candidates were judged on a number of factors, including: the breadth of their volunteering and fundraising efforts, their leadership and creativity, their hands-on involvement in their philanthropic pursuits, the length and level of their involvement and the impact on their community and their charity.

Mackenzie also awarded five runners-up with $500 each for their charity of choice:

• Andrei Bitan, age 17, Burlington, Ont: Over the last three years, Andrei has supported the New Mentality, a provincial project made up of youth who promote mental health awareness within their local communities. Andrei developed grant proposals and received $5,000 in funding, initiated an advertising campaign, built a network of young people and developed presentations and focus groups for community organizations and schools.
• Darren Cole, age 15, Toronto: From filling 10,000 backpacks with school supplies to sorting food at the local food bank, Darren has been helping people in need since he was six years old. In Grade 9, Darren took his efforts further by creating TOPS for Teens, raising money for his school, and just over a year ago, created the group Kids Against Canadian Hunger, which encourages local schools to raise money for Food Banks Canada.
• Jeneece Edroff, age 15, Victoria: A finalist for the second-consecutive year, Jeneece was born with a genetic condition called neurofibromatosis, and in just over eight years, has raised more than $1.25 million for Variety, The Children's Charity, through an annual penny drive. In October 2008, the Jeneece Edroff Society was founded to continue her efforts.
• Jenna Lambert, age 18, Harrowsmith, Ont: Born with cerebral palsy, Jenna joined Y Knot Abilities, a program that adapts sports for children with physical disabilities and their able-bodied siblings. Wanting to share the experiences and help others find joy in sports, Jenna swam across Lake Ontario when she was 15, raising $240,000. Since then, Jenna has inspired many in her community to raise funds for her cause and in September raised awareness for Y Knot in Ottawa by completing a 270 km ultra-triathlon.
• Seb Roberts, age 19, Vancouver: Seb founded Bavubuka All *Sports as part of the Bavubuka Foundation, a program that connects youth with recreation to transform lives and unify diverse communities. Since 2006, Seb has collected and raised funds to help distribute more than 2,000 pounds of sports equipment and clothing.

Along with Jane Wu (2008's winner), a panel of high profile individuals selected this year's winner and finalists. They included: Craig Keilberger, founder of Free The Children; Monica Patten, President and Chief Executive Officer, Community Foundation of Canada; Danielle Silverstein, Executive Director, Jays Care Foundation; Carlos Bustamante, Host, YTV's The Zone; and Brad Offman, Vice President, Strategic Philanthropy, Mackenzie Investments.

About the survey:

The Mackenzie survey results are based on a Youthography national online survey conducted from July 22 to August 4, 2009. The final sample consisted of 533 respondents; total sample is accurate 19 times out of 20: +/- 4.25%.

More information on charitable giving and the Mackenzie Charitable Giving Fund, which allows you to leave a legacy of giving, can be found at www.mackenziefinancial.com/giving.