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w w w .insideH A LT O N .com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, M a rc h 2 4 , 2 0 1 7 | 1 8 Every week w e showcase youtns in our community SEND US YOUR NEW S: If you are a youth and you have a story or photo to share, we'll do our hest to publish it on this page. Email it to ahlackhurn@oakvilleheaver. com, along with your name and a brief paragraph about why you want to share it with our readers. Youths deliver hearts for International Happiness Day by Nathan Howes Oakville Beaver Staff o celebrate International Happiness Day (Monday, March 20), two Oakville students used paper hearts to spread a cheerful message to others. Earlier this month, Randi Leader-Oakes asked her daughter, Luci Oakes, 9, what she wanted to do on March Break to mark International Happiness Day; The Grade 3 Halton Waldorf School student "emphatically" replied, "We will colour hearts and give them away," said Leader-Oakes. The Oakville mom discussed the idea with a neighbour, Tig Sutton, whose son, Oliver Kotick, a 13-year-old Grade 8 Wildwood Academy student, happily joined the initiative. The two youths cut and coloured paper hearts with messages on each, then delivered them to about 30 neighbours in Joshua Creek last week. "Once the kids got a good reaction, a surprised and genuine smile from an adult neighbour, they just ran up to the next house for more. Luci and Oliver now know how we can positively affect one person, for one moment in a day, with just one kind gesture," said Leader-Oakes. She described her daughter as outgoing and "rarely shy, especially around adults" and said Luci and Oliver had a "lovely" approach to distributing the hearts to each neighbour. "Oliver tends to be a bit shy, so he would ring the doorbell, check for dogs and then Luci would do the talking. If someone wasn't home, they left a heart taped to their front door." T At right, Luci Oakes, 9, left, and Oliver Kotick, 13, right, delivered paper hearts containing messages to neighbours, like neighbour Sylvie Poirier, centre, last week. The deed was the youths' way of marking International Day of Happi ness (March 20), but like all good deeds, the youths found as much joy in giving as did the recipients. | submitted photos Luci, who had life-saving open-heart surgery when she was three at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), is now an ambassador for the Toronto hospital. "My husband and I are so proud of, but not surprised by, Luci wanting to spread joy and happiness in the world. The joy snowballed as we went from door-to-door," said Leader-Oakes. Sutton said she is delighted her son and Luci took it upon themselves to create and deliver the hearts. "I think that if we can all spread a little happiness, it can change the world," said Sutton. w w w .e d w a rd jo n e s .c o m IIS mni w w w .jw a rc h ite c t.c o m D o es y o u r fin a n c ia l a d v is o r k n o w y o u r life goals? Marc Nutford - Financial Advisor 2387 Trafalgar Road, Unit E2, Oakville, ON L6H 6K7 905-844-4043 www.edwardjones.com/marc-nutford HOUSES Edwardjones M A K IN G S E N S E O F IN V E S T IN G M e m b e r - C a n a d ia n In v e s to r P ro tectio n Fund