It is said that actions speak louder than words.
That adage could be applied to the efforts of Kenzie Gormley.
The soft-spoken eight-year-old from Antigonish County – with support from her mother, Sherise Pettipas – recently completed another successful Kenzie’s Backpacks’ initiative.
Over the past two years, the now Grade 4 student at Antigonish Education Centre (AEC) has collected school supplies for children in her community who need them.
“It’s pretty impressive,” Municipality of the County of Antigonish Warden Owen McCarron said of her work.
He shared that sentiment Sept. 17 when he presented Kenzie with a certificate and baseball cap on behalf of county council and its residents.
“We are so proud of you,” McCarron said, predicting she will have a “great future.”
Kenzie has been able to touch many lives because of teamwork. Along with her mother, the Antigonish chapter of the International Order of Good Fellows (I.O.O.F. – Jewel Lodge #42) and Antigonish Atlantic Superstore, who named her their ‘back-to-school ambassador,’ have pitched in.
Kenzie’s Backpacks, which started in Antigonish, has expanded to Port Hawkesbury, New Glasgow and Truro.
While in council chambers for another presentation, Shaun Chisholm offered an example of Kenzie’s effect on others.
The volunteer for Canadians Accepting Refugees Everywhere (CARE) Antigonish noted children from two African families who recently moved here received Kenzie’s Backpacks.
AAHS solar panels
Chisholm, also an Affordable Housing Society (AAHS) board member, was on hand for a presentation by county council to that initiative.
Warden Owen McCarron handed over $20,000 to Chisholm and AAHS chair Colleen Cameron, which will go towards the installation of solar panels at Riverside Estates, an affordable housing complex in Antigonish.
“We are so grateful for your support,” Cameron told council, adding Antigonish County has been “behind us all the way.”
She noted AAHS will also receive funding from the provincial government (Efficiency NS) and the Antigonish Solar Co-op for the purchase of the solar panels.
“You should be commended for your work,” Councillor Donnie MacDonald, who represents council on the AAHS board, said after making the cheque presentation.
He noted efforts, such as the solar panel installation, are always “geared towards our tenants” and making things more affordable.
With files from Richard MacKenzie
