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 18th, 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/
Jordan Sidoo
A new generation of philanthropists is on the rise and David and Manjy Sidoo’s son Jordan is becoming recognized as a “youth leader” among them. He recently received a letter of appreciation from Hamish Jenkinson, the UK Chairman of “Free the Children”, the world’s largest youth-driven charity. Jordan was instrumental in connecting his peers and classmates to the Free the Children organization and acted in the role of “We Day Ambassador” to assist Mr. Jenkinson in his visit to Vancouver last October.
Read more about Jordan’s involvement in the 2012 We Day event in Vancouver here.
Sidoo Family Giving – David Sidoo and Manjy Sidoo
www.sidoofamilygiving.com
Sidoo Family Giving Facebook Page
Twitter.com/David_Sidoo
“I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being. ”
~Oscar Wilde
Vancouver is a major city that is home to countless youth from all walks of life and with a full range of backgrounds and opportunities. In order to bring some of these varied youth communities together, Sidoo Family Giving started a program that unites student through a common interest – theatre arts. It’s part of a larger initiative within the foundation to collaborate with Saint Georges school, one of Canada’s premiere boarding and day schools for boys, and other schools in the Vancouver area to promote cross-pollination and interaction among communities. The foundation has been mentoring and financially assisting the Saint George’s program for the past several years.
Recently SFG collaborated with Saint Georges School located in Vancouver’s West-side and Templeton Secondary School located in Vancouver’s East-side to bring together students from far-reaching ends of the city in the context of arts and culture.
The Saint George’s School Saints Players presented The Miser–French playwright Moliere’s five-act satirical comedy–in a five night run in early November. David and Manjy Sidoo of Sidoo Family Giving worked with Jim Crescenzo, head of the Templeton Secondary School theatre and arts program, to bring students from the Templeton program to an evening performance of the play.
SFG sponsored tickets and transportation for sixty students many of whom were at-risk youth whose lives had been turned around by Templeton’s arts and theatre program. Oscar Wilde certainly had it right: in the context of theatre the diverse backgrounds of the students disappeared and they simply became human beings sharing together a common passion.
“The students had a great time and were very excited to attend and meet them all. It was another fantastic evening that opened a new experience for these wonderfully talented students from both Saints and Templeton,” said David Sidoo. “East side meets west side. It was really cool to see the young kids interact.”
Sidoo Family Giving – David and Manjy Sidoo
www.sidoofamilygiving.com
Sidoo Family Giving Facebook Page
Twitter.com/David_Sidoo
SFF Connecting Youth Through Theatre
