Regina is packed with all sorts of incredible humans, initiatives and programs… sometimes you hear about what’s going on… but often, the most magical folks just slide right through being shielded by their own humble nature.
Not only do we want to celebrate these community champions, but we also want to share their amazing stories in hopes of inspiring others to do what they can to make the world a better place.
The Inspire Project is a group of local creatives that believe in the power of inspiration. Using the skills we have, we want to showcase and celebrate the folks who make YQR such a great place, while inspiring others to do the same.
Graduating high school is a milestone moment in itself… never mind in the midst of a global pandemic.
We made a call looking for a new graduate who deserves an extra hip-hip hurray! Someone who worked so hard and gave so much to get that piece of paper… a stand-up human, a humanitarian, a helper, a do-gooder… someone who inspires those around them! We’d like to help them celebrate graduating in 2020 and share their stories.
Thank you so much to everyone who nominated an inspiration in their lives. Head over to our insta @theinspireprojectyqr for a glimpse of the amazing stories.
“I met Sarah about 4 years ago when I had just joined roller derby and she was a new coach. I was an all-new skater and at one of my very first practices, Sarah took me under her wing. I was terrified but she taught me so much in just 3 hours. This was one of the first times I realized that roller derby was something I wanted to pursue. Over the next couple of years, I watched as she became of the best players in North America. She worked harder than anyone else and it started to pay off. Every time she stepped onto the track the entire crowd was mesmerized. Sarah started as my coach but soon became my teammate and one of my best friends. As a coach, she pushed me to be my best and taught me the value of perseverance. As a teammate, she was always there for me even when she was at her worst. She always told me she believed in me and is one of the reasons I decided not to quit in the worst of times. Without her, I would never have continued playing and would never have gotten the opportunity to play on the best junior team in Canada. This experience changed my life and I would not be the person I am today without this team or Sarah.
Sarah inspired me so much as a coach and a teammate but the biggest impacts were as a friend. Once we became closer I truly realized everything she had been going through. She had been struggling with some serious mental health issues for a while but that never stopped her from achieving anything she wanted. She worked extremely hard at derby as I mentioned, but also at school and graduated with a 98% average. About a year ago, she started speaking out about her personal experiences and even started a non-profit organization named Holding Hope.
Holding Hope is an organization founded to bring more awareness to child-abuse in Saskatchewan. Through this Sarah was able to start telling her story and has changed many people’s lives. Though I have known Sarah in many different settings one thing has never changed. She is and always will be my idol.”
Q: Who inspires you?
A: “My teachers! Some have inspired me morally, some academically, some in all of the things they do. Each and every teacher that I have had has shaped me in some way, some more than others, and I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without some of these awesome humans.”
Q: Goals… what do you hope to conquer?
A: “I am starting University this Fall in the faculty of Education. This kind of adds on to who inspires me, but I went through a really rough time these past two years, I was struggling with mental illness, reliving past traumas and trying to juggle all of my other day to day stresses. My teachers were and some still are a crucial part in me getting through these struggles. One has shown me that lightness is still possible after years of darkness, another has shown me that no matter what life throws at you, you can always prevail, together, my teachers have taught me countless lessons and were always there for me when I needed it most. I hope to someday do the same for someone else. My goal is to be one of the teachers that I was so lucky to have. Another big goal of mine is to help ensure that less and less and eventually no other children have to go through what I went through as a child. I want to raise awareness about local child abuse and to demonstrate that prevention is possible through the organization I have created called “Holding Hope“.”
Q: What message would you like to share with the community?
A: “Always be kind and smile at strangers. You never know what someone is going through, and speaking from experience receiving something as simple as a smile can be life-changing.”
Q: Any additional fun facts, quirks or important deets you’d like us to know about?
A: “Anything with cooked broccoli is the way to my heart! I play roller derby and have for 7 years! I can play four musical instruments and I have four dogs.”
“I spent the afternoon with Sarah while colouring her hair… all I can say is DANG, she is one incredible young human! Sarah is involved in SOOOO much through her school, and her community… she is definitely not the type to wait for change, she’ll just do it herself. She is 100% a mover and a shaker, a leader and a motivated person. I’m very thankful to have met Sarah and look forward to offering support with her future endeavours with Holding Hope. This project continues to remind me how much good there is in the world, how many amazing people there are out there who just dive in with both feet to create positive change in any way they can.”
~ Kristina Blake