Jordan Sidoo Wins The Province Newspaper’s 2014 Head of the Class Adversity Award

Jordan Sidoo’s passion for giving back to his community has become more and more evident as he continues to develop into an admirable young man. On this website we have focused often on his drive and determination to ensure that local children have food in their bellies and safe places to play while at school. Jordan has always been very humble about his accomplishments and prefers to maintain focus on those whom he strives to support.

For that reason it may come as a surprise then to learn that Jordan faced enormous physical challenges from the moment he was born. From an early age Jordan showed incredible grit and determination to overcome those challenges and become a respected competitor in the athletics program at St George’s School that will soon lead to further competition at the NCAA level.

Jordan’s perseverance and grit were evident to those around him and earlier this year he was nominated for The Province newspaper’s Head of the Class Adversity Award. After two weeks of voting wrapped up last month, the results were announced today: Jordan won!

As part of the awards announcement, Jordan’s in-depth profile was published in The Province’s online sports blog today, revealing from his perspective the challenges he faced as an athlete in his youth. Jordan shared that he was born with the most severe case of club feet that the hospital had seen, and that he persevered through surgeries, braces and physio to not only recover, but to clock a 12 second 100m dash by the time he was 12. Through a series of events Jordan eventually was asked to become the cox for St George’s School rowing team. And after four years of excelling in that role, Jordan will be going to one of the NCAA’s top rowing programs at the University of California-Berkeley.

The Adversity Award is part of The Province’s annual Head of the Class section in which it highlights some of British Columbia’s most accomplished athletes. Each year the Head of the Class Reader’s Choice Awards accept nominations for Coach of the Year and for the Adversity Award. Nominees of the Adversity Award are Grade 12 students who, according to The Province, “were to have shown a positive attitude and determination in overcoming extraordinary personal challenges.”

Jordan Sidoo

This year’s four finalists, including Jordan, were chosen from those submissions by The Province editorial department. The Province then turned the voting over to its readership.

Jordan’s brief bio was posted on The Province Head of the Class website along with the other finalists for consideration by the public:

Jordan Sidoo – St. George’s School
Born with severe club feet, Sidoo of Vancouver’s St. George’s School, defied the odds of his doctors to excel at three sports. In 10th grade he broke his arm in three places playing basketball but has since rebounded, joining the school’s rowing team as a coxswain. Sidoo was recently accepted to join the rowing program at prestigious Cal-Berkeley, which annually resides near the top of the NCAA rankings.

After two weeks of open online voting, the numbers were tallied and the results announced today. Read the full story.

Congratulations on your accomplishment Jordan!

Sidoo Family Giving Sponsors Breakfast Club

On Monday May 14, 2012, David Sidoo and Manjy Sidoo joined a number of smiling young faces at the Strathcona Community Centre to present on behalf of Sidoo Family Giving a $20000 donation to the Breakfast Club programs offered there. The Vancouver Sun newspaper’s Adopt a School program matched the Sidoo Family Giving donation.

The breakfast program at Queen Alexandra School and Strathcona Community Centre feed a healthy breakfast 200 of Vancouver inner-city children – and family members if needed – who go to school in the morning with empty stomachs.

Sidoo Family Giving has already actively sponsored Breakfast Clubs at David Sidoo’s alma mater New Westminster Secondary School in New Westminster, BC. In late 2011, Manjy Sidoo read an article in the Vancouver Sun’s Adopt-a-School series that detailed Queen Alexandra School and its needs. “The story just spoke to me. The programs there are so important to maintain and I said to David ‘this is a school I want to help as well as Strathcona,” said Manjy.

In the 14 years that the breakfast program offered out of the Strathcona Community Centre has been running, the number of children being fed has almost tripled.

David Sidoo was initially shocked to learn that children in his own backyard are going to school without a nutritious – or any – meal in the morning. “We all need to know this. We have to keep it in our conscience…” said David.

It can make an incredible difference in a child’s life to have a nutritious meal each morning. And it’s David and Manjy Sidoo’s hope that others will follow their lead and take action to support local breakfast clubs in their backyard.

Sidoo Family Giving – David Sidoo and Manjy Sidoo

Jordan Sidoo has developed a passion to create awareness for and change in the lives of the thousands of children in British Columbia who go to school hungry each morning. Jordan believes very strongly that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and especially so for school age children whose classroom studies demand clarity and focus for several hours each day.

For more than a year Jordan has been working hard to raise money and awareness for the breakfast club programs operating in schools throughout the lower mainland. Last year he created a website, breakfast-club.ca, as a means to create awareness and raise money by selling pen and pencil sets online. Since Christmas 2013, Jordan has raised $8700 via the website alone, and every dollar is going to support breakfast clubs in the lower mainland.

On April 9, 2014, Jordan presented a cheque for $3000 to the New Westminster Secondary School Breakfast Club program. NWSS is the alma mater of Jordan’s father, David Sidoo, and his uncle, Paul. The donated funds will provide 3000 breakfasts to NWSS students over the course of one year.

The impact of this is not lost on Jordan, who feels very blessed with his family, friends and lot in life. According to Jordan’s father, David, “President Clinton would say, ‘To those whom much has been given much is expected.’ Although Jordan has had his share of adversity he learns from the down times, works hard and gives back.”

Simply put, if Jordan can help one child to have a better life, it’s all worth it.

On February 13, 2014, 17-year-old Jordan Sidoo, along with his parents David and Manjy, joined forces to serve a hot pancake breakfast to more than 60 children at Queen Alexandra Elementary School in Vancouver.

On this day, Jordan donated $5600 to the school’s emergency breakfast program, raised through the sales of pen/pencil sets and tote bags through his fundraising website www.breakfast-club.ca. David and Manjy Sidoo added another $4400 from the Sidoo Family Giving foundation.

During the Queen Alexandra Elementary pancake breakfast, Jordan presented a cheque in the combined total of $10000 to a school representative. And Queen Alexandra can certainly use the money – their emergency breakfast program consistently feeds nearly 70 children each day.

Jordan acknowledged having experienced the lack of focus and energy that result from missing breakfast, though he admits it was due to his own choice to skip a meal.  Many local children miss breakfast on a school day, and not by choice. “I want to raise awareness about how important breakfast is as a meal for kids,” he said.

Diligent and determined, Jordan continues to raise more funds to support much-needed emergency breakfast programs in Vancouver area schools.

Read more about this event here:

http://www.vancouversun.com/pencil+sales+feed+hungry+children/9515068/story.html

Jordan Sidoo was honoured with the Award of Excellence for Exceptional Accomplishment for a person of Indian Origin (Community Builder Category) from the NRI Institute of India in London, England.

Jordan is the youngest person to be ever honoured with this award by the Right Honourable Baroness Verma, Minister of Energy and Climate Change and Manu Jagmohan Singh the Secretary General of the NRI Institute at the British House of Lords.

Jordan Sidoo holds a thank-you card next to his dad, David, and other kids in front of the new playground at Lord Selkirk Annex.

Six months after being inspired to raise funds to install a new playground at Lord Selkirk Annex elementary school, Jordan Sidoo was invited to cut the ribbon to officially deem the playground open for play.  On June 18^th, Jordan and his father, David Sidoo, joined the excited schoolchildren on the playground to commemorate the opening. Some children were so excited they cried tears of joy.

As reported earlier, Jordan sold pen and pencil sets to raise $6000 of the $7800 required to install the equipment that was to replace an ageing and condemned wooden structure in the school’s playground. The Sidoo family contributed the remaining $1800 to make the new playground dream a reality.

The playground will be well loved by the kindergarten through grade 4 students. “It’s fantastic to see all these kids so excited,” commented David.

Read more here.

Sidoo Family Giving – David Sidoo and Manjy Sidoo
www.sidoofamilygiving.com
Sidoo Family Giving Facebook Page
Twitter.com/David_Sidoo

David Sidoo and VPD Constable Kal Dosanjh at a soccer tournament for the inner city youth of Vancouver.

As a former pro athlete whose life was changed by sports at a pivotal age, David Sidoo understands the value of athletics in the life of a youth…especially an inner city youth.

On the weekend of May 25, 2013, David was delighted to attend and support the Vancouver Police Department Soccer Tournament for Inner City Youth. More than 500 kids participated in the event, which was organized by the VPD Athletic League and Detective Kal Dosanjh.

From the Link Paper article, Dosanjh is quoted as saying, “David is an example of what sports can do, being the first Indo-Canadian professional football player,” Dosanjh said. “David would agree with me that by engaging the youth in a sporting activity it will provide them with a positive outlet, provide them an opportunity to develop self esteem, provide an environment which facilitates personal growth and promotes learning to work well with others in a team setting. This program is designed to develop a strong connection with youth at any early age, so that a sense of community, safety and integrity become well entrenched values.”

There are many wonderful programs to engage youth in sports…why not check into opportunities in your community and see how you can make a difference too!

Sidoo Family Giving – David Sidoo and Manjy Sidoo

Surrey MLA Dave Hayer presenting Jordan Sidoo with a BC Certificate of Appreciation

David and Manjy Sidoo are dedicated philanthropists whose passion for giving back to their community has not been lost on their sons.

Through a number of community initiatives, 16 year old Jordan Sidoo has tirelessly worked to create awareness and give back to the community he calls home. From raising funds to replace the equipment in a local school’s playground to Street-to-Home foundation, and from the Sidoo-supported Breakfast Club initiative to We Day, Jordan maintains a clear focus on community service in addition to being an honour roll student at St George’s School.

The young man’s efforts have not gone unnoticed as he was recently each awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by Surrey MLA Dave Hayer, on behalf of the Provincial Government of British Columbia.

Congratulations, Jordan…you are truly an inspiration to the next generation of philanthropists!

http://www.darpanmagazine.com/2013/04/bc-youth-receives-government-honour/
http://thelinkpaper.ca/?p=28194
http://www.vancouverdesi.com/news/teen-embraces-vaisakhi-spirit-and-does-something-tangible/536624/

On December 15^th, 2012, David and Manjy Sidoo and their two sons joined volunteers and members of the Association of South Asian Professionals (ASAP) in a Blanket Drive near Oppenheimer Park in the Downtown Eastside. The Sidoos and David Gadhia and family donated 300 blankets to the cause and were on hand to distribute them to those in need on that cold and rainy Vancouver day.

The Sidoo Family Giving manifesto is “Supporting our communities through time, talent and treasure.” With the line up of recipients stretching for blocks, the Sidoos and other ASAP volunteers saw clearly how much of an impact the Blanket Drive made on the lives of many in their community. “When you see such poverty you have to do something. After we’d handed out all the blankets and stuff we later saw a few guys sitting on a bench wrapped up in them and I told Jordan ‘take a look, that’s why we have to help,’” said David Sidoo.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Adopt+school+Lord+Selkirk+Annex+gets+playground/7738790/story.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3a+canwest%2fF229+(Vancouver+Sun+-+News)#ixzz2Fz4rHaPl

Read more about ASAP and the day’s event here and here.

The Sidoo Family and members of the Association of South Asian Professionals (ASAP) handing out blankets.

May this season find you wrapped in the warmth and love of those in your community!

David Sidoo and his family Manjy and son Jordan have responded to our Adopt a School story that the school needs $7,800 to erect a new playground at Lord Selkirk elementary school.

The Sidoo Family has worked together to give a lasting gift to 73 elementary school children at Lord Selkirk Annex in Vancouver.

Recently, the school board mandated that the school tear down an aging playground structure, which would leave children with just one plastic structure to play on.  The school had applied to the Vancouver Sun for a $7800 grant to erect used playground equipment from another school to replace the soon-to-be-removed set.

David and Manjy Sidoo have been strong supporters of the Adopt-a-School campaign and have a very deep focus on making a difference in the lives of children in their community. This belief is something that they are passing on to their children.

In a two-week period, David and Manjy’s son Jordan raised $4000 selling pen sets to support the replacement of Lord Selkirk’s playground. And as a member of the St George’s school service committee, Jordan has committed to rounding up other St Georges students to help dismantle the equipment for transfer to Lord Selkirk Annex.

Last week the Sidoo Family came forward to advise the school that they would cover the remaining cost of installing the equipment. “As a family we wanted to do something for Christmas and it’s really nice being able to help this school. The kids shouldn’t lose their playground,” said David Sidoo.

Read the full story here .

Sidoo Family Giving – David Sidoo and Manjy Sidoo
www.sidoofamilygiving.com
Sidoo Family Giving Facebook Page
Twitter.com/David_Sidoo