Piotr, a six-year-old boy from Gralewo, Poland, sits in a sandbox, which was part of a gift he received from a group of King's-Edgehill students who travelled to the country with Coalition for Kids International on a 12-day "Journey for a Lifetime" trip. Submitted photo
Published on April 6th, 2010
By Christy Marsters
THE HANTS JOURNAl
NovaNewsNow.com
On a 12-day ‘Journey for a Lifetime’ trip to Poland, a group of King’s-Edgehill students delivered a playground set to a six-year-old boy from Gralewo, who lives with severe kidney failure and other disorders.
King’s-Edgehill student James Keddy, who took part in this program – established by Coalition for Kids International (CFKI) – alongside peers Francis Laing, Shawna Ellis, Ben Church and Tyler Graves, said this moment stood out to him.
“It was such a humble gift,” Keddy said, “but I’ve never seen a happier boy in my life.”
This trip was an eye opening experience, Keddy said. “(These kids), and it is weird to call them kids because some of them were pretty close to my age, were so bright and strong to be living with a terminal illness.”
CFKI, based in Halifax, supports Canadian youth who want to bring happiness to less fortunate kids.
CFKI managing director Garry Oliver said this group from King’s-Edgehill had helped fulfill a wish for about a dozen children in Poland, facing terminal illnesses, and were really tremendous.
The group travelled about 2,000 kilometers within this country in testing conditions, Oliver said. “Still, we got everywhere on time.”
“It was such a humble gift, but I’ve never seen a happier boy in my life.” - Student James Keddy
“This group of King’s-Edgehill students was wonderful. It was such a busy trip but the students never complained,” Oliver said. “They were great representatives from their school.”
Student Shawna Ellis said she did not really know what to expect when she first left for Poland, but she was excited for the experience.
“I wanted to understand the stories and understand the culture in Poland,” Ellis said, “and, I think did learn a lot about the polish culture.”
The cities were modern but the countryside was bleak, she said. “Still, all the people were always so friendly and very generous.”
There seemed to be a greater sense of community and family, she added. “There’s just such a different lifestyle there.
“The children we visited experienced pain, but, there was still joy in their lives,” Ellis said. “It was hard to see but to see their families joy - when we brought in a gift - was so great; just to see the mothers and how happy they were … for them (this moment) it’ll be a great memory.”
Piotr, a six-year-old boy from Gralewo, Poland, sits in a sandbox, which was part of a gift he received from a group of King's-Edgehill students who travelled to the country with Coalition for Kids International on a 12-day "Journey for a Lifetime" trip. Submitted photo
