New Clubs Series: Health and Charity
Did you know that Marianopolis students created over thirty clubs this year? In this two-part series, founders share what drove them to turn their passion into a club. For this first part, I gave the mic to health and charity clubs.
Marianopolis Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Club
Leah Knecht, the instigator of the Marianopolis Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Club decided to fundraise at Marianopolis after noticing no other club focused on these types of blood cancer.
“I personally have been interested in the fight against leukemia and lymphoma since kindergarten, when I was diagnosed with AML (acute myeloid leukemia)”, she wrote. Since her recovery, she and her family have amassed over $60,000 for the cause. The club’s social media coordinator, Sam Barbeau, shared that her mother was diagnosed with lymphoma during pregnancy: “I was born a month early so she could be treated.“
Luckily, leukemia and lymphoma are in the past for the club executives. However, they want to support families currently affected by cancer through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada.
EyeCare for All
Tina Yu, the creator and president of EyeCare for All, can trace her interest in optometry back to high school. Myopia impeded her life until her optometrist prescribed her night lenses. She was extremely grateful and realized she wanted to have this positive impact on people’s lives by becoming an optometrist herself.
When she got her acceptance letter at Marianopolis, she looked at the club list and decided she would create an eye-related club of her own. She knew about VOSH Santa Cruz, a humanitarian organization providing eye examinations and eye care across the world. However, the volunteer trips were too expensive. As a result, she fundraises for VOSH via EyeCare For All at Marianopolis with her friends Angela and Wilson to contribute from afar.
Scalpel Society
Another healthcare-related club is the Scalpel Society, created by friends Jessica Comeau and Amelia Lee-Mongrain. Both founders share an interest in surgery. The former traces her passion for medicine back to early childhood: “When I was younger, my mother had many medicine books, and I’d often find myself just looking at them , [and] seeing how complex the human body was just fascinated me.” In her secondary 3 biology course, Jessica cemented her passion for neuroscience by writing a research paper on the brain.
Amelia has also been surrounded by science and medicine her whole life. In fact, she was even named after her great-aunt Mimi, the head surgeon of a hospital! Her scientist parents exposed her to books and documentaries which fostered her love of medicine. “Over the years, I’ve attended several medical workshops, created a medical blog, and found other ways to express my passion,” she adds.
Self
After meeting at Marianopolis, Ryan Pour-Mahdi and Tommy Antonopoulos bonded over shared interests in engineering and entrepreneurship, the Rocky movies, and… self-improvement. Ryan began striving to better his life at the end of quarantine. He realized that despite having time on his hands, he hadn’t pursued his ambitions.
When Ryan pitched the idea for Self (a self-improvement club) to Tommy, he immediately came up with ideas for the group. The latter found his love for self-improvement in early high school. He was inspired by coaches and mentors who introduced him to wellness, training, and living a healthy and balanced lifestyle. At first, Ryan was unsure about the increased workload a club would entail. Nevertheless, his friend’s dedication encouraged him: “[Tommy’s] passion for the project convinced me to push through with the creation of Self.” Two days later, the duo submitted their club application and have since been working on the creation of a tight-knit group providing motivation and accountability.
Young Champions for Refugees
Diplomacy-passionate Catherine Dong, the creator of the Young Champions for Refugees group at Marianopolis, was eager to volunteer for the United Nations. She joined the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’s (UNHCR) youth program. What does becoming an official young champion mean? Advocating, driving conversations, and volunteering… The group at Marianopolis aims to extend the UNHCR’s network and help refugees locally.
Catherine mentions that her role has further opened her eyes to the gravity of the refugee crisis. She highlights that finding a new home miles and miles away is the reality for 110 million people.
A Ball 4 All
Finally, A Ball 4 All was born on the first day of school. First-years Issa Abdourahamane and Amir Frih pitched the idea of a sports volunteering and social justice club to their friend group, and they were all hooked.
“Most of our team plays high-level sports so we know how much of a positive impact it has brought us in our lives,” explains an executive. However, lack of accessibility to sports is a social issue present around the world, including in Montreal. A Ball 4 All aims to offer local children opportunities to be active by collaborating with schools and community centers.
