Former Frederictonian is a finalist in Red Rose Tea’s online contest
Published Friday October 30th, 2009
The Reach Out with Red Rose program is an active sponsorship that includes a $250,000 contribution to ONEXONE and the chance for three Canadians to win a volunteer experience with a ONEXONE partner. ONEXONE focuses on clean water, hunger, education, health care and play. Corporate sponsorship helps to make projects such as wells for clean water in Ethiopia and breakfast programs for Canadian kids a reality.
Rebecca Tremblay is from this city but is now living in Victoria, BC.
When her father , Roger Tremblay, learned about this contest through The Daily Gleaner, he let her know because he knew she has a passion for working with disadvantaged children in developing countries.
To qualify, she was asked to write a 200-word essay about what she is doing to make a positive difference in the world.
She also had to get enough online votes to make it to the contest’s top 10.
The top 10 will move on to the next round of voting, which will take place until Nov. 4. The three entries with the highest votes will be reviewed by the Red Rose judging panel.
One of three contestants will be selected for the finals.
This means she will need to get more votes.
If she is selected she will be awarded a Volunteer Vacation in Kenya for seven days and will be able to volunteer with children in need. She is very excited about the possibility of having this experience.
While she was in Fredericton, Tremblay was a member of the Christ Church Cathedral’s puppeteers which went on a mission trip to Belize to give puppet shows to children in churches and rural schools.
She taught English to two boys who had emigrated to Belize from Guatemala.
“I have had amazing experiences with children in Belize, Nicaragua and Honduras. I taught kindergarten in Mexico.
I love working with kids. It’s my dream to go to Africa and volunteer with children in need. I have a degree in international development. If I could go to Africa it would be that next step toward a career in working with kids who need assistance, support and love.”
There will be two additional chances to enter and win next year, with prizes awarded in Feb. and June 2010.
If she doesn’t win this time, Tremblay says she plans to enter the next contest in the New Year.
Winners will be invited to blog about their experiences while footage from these incredible trips may be used to create a compelling documentary that will be screened at the ONEXONE Gala during the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. The contest is searching for a dedicated volunteer who has a good story to share.
“I have passion for working with people in need. I have a ton of experience. People who have seen me in Belize and Nicaragua know just how suited I would be for this,” she says.
“I love kids and I have been working with kids my whole life in summer camps and as a teacher. If I could bring what I can do and my love of kids and my enthusiasm for life to Africa and work with children who need a role model, love and support and someone to believe in them, I would love to be that person.”
Tremblay’s essay and photo are featured on the Red Rose Tea contest website. She is asking for your help.
If you would like to learn more about this contest and want to vote for Tremblay please go to www.redrosetea.ca/reachout withredrose/default.aspx and look for the Inspiring Dreams title.
Three Fredericton runners qualify for Boston Marathon Heather Suttie, Mike Simmons and Bob Cormier, who competed in the Massachusetts Marathon, have all qualified to take part in the Boston Marathon in April 2010 or April 2011.
The three runners have decided to continue to train and will take part in the 2011 marathon.
Until then they are preparing for other runs. Suttie placed 13th in the women’s 30 to 39 age group. Her 64-year-old coach, Mike Simmons, placed fourth in his age category and 57-year-old Bob Cormier did well too.
She credits these men for their help and encouragement in preparing for the race in Lowell, Massachusetts earlier this month.
“They are the experts. They’ve run for years and I have been tagging along. It was very shocking how much time it takes to train for a marathon.”
Suttie is now training to run a half marathon at Disney in Florida on Jan. 9, 2010.
If it weren’t for her husband, Malcolm Suttie, she says she would not be able to have the amount of time needed to dedicate to this training.
She is also grateful to the staff of the couple’s store, who she says often covered for her at work when she needed to take time to train on the weekend.
Her interest in running began following the birth of their daughter Emma almost seven years ago. She started to run, she says, because she wanted to get back into shape. Her persistence paid off. Suttie says she is likely in the best physical condition of her life.
But more importantly, she says, her daughter has seen that effort and hard work can result in great success. The little girl waited for her mother, Simmons and Cormier at the finish line in the cold rain.
“She now wants to do it because she sees the benefits of it.”
Laverne Stewart is a staff writer at The Daily Gleaner. If you’ve got an interesting tidbit to share, please contact her at stewart.laverne@dailygleaner.com. Did You Hear? appears every Friday.
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