Reema – thanks to you she’s confident and happy
“I feel happy and comfortable at this place,” Reema says. All thanks to your act of local love.
Today, nine-year-old Reema is a confident and happy kid who loves dancing, birthday parties, and spending time with her friends. It wasn’t always that way.
Adjusting to a new school – making friends, fitting in, and learning from different teachers – is hard enough for a young child. It was especially difficult for Reema, who, along with her family, escaped the trauma and fear of the Syrian war to settle in Surrey.
New school, new fears
Her aunt tried to help as much as she could sharing with her niece what life in Canada was like. But when Reema arrived at school, the transition was tough.
“I was messing up, just a teeny bit and I was so embarrassed,” Reema says.
Lack of support for vulnerable kids in the after-school hours of 3 – 6 PM is an unignorable issue in our community. It can lead to low-self-esteem, depression and anxiety. For Reema, support is critical because along with finding her way in a new school and neighbourhood, she very much misses her Grandma who lives half way around the world.
Your act of local love makes a difference
Thanks to your act of local love, Reema was able to make a life-saving connection at a United Way School’s Out Program, which offers a safe and supportive space for new Canadians and refugee children.
That’s because United Way after-school programs provide vulnerable kids like Reema and her brother Reda with a strong sense of belonging and connection.
At after-school programs just like this one – supported by you – children from all backgrounds come together and with the help of mentors who serve as positive role models, they achieve greater academic success, build lasting friendships and connections to their community. It all helps to increase their self-esteem and encourages positive social behaviours that help them now and in later life.
United Way School’s Out Programs like this one are pillars of our community. They create the foundation for United Way to build entire neighbourhood-wide strategies to support the most vulnerable and isolated residents of our communities – from age 9 to 99, and everywhere in between. This is how United Way is maximizing your gifts, 100% locally.
“I was happy to come and [find] new friends,” Reema says.
Everyone can benefit from an act of local love. Thanks to you many more children like Reema have the opportunity to attend life-changing after-school programs.
Because of your generosity, we can all be proud of the communities we call home.
Thank you.
Help more kids like Reema succeed by giving them access to life changing after-school programs.
Send a note of encouragement to Reema
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