"And we raise our voices and shout 'Freedom'!"

My CP Team!

Last week, on my birthday to be exact, was Free the Children's first We Day in the Waterloo region! I was on the Crowd Pumpers team, which basically means I got to dress ridiculously, watch the show, and make sure everyone in the crowd was having a great time! Our team went up the night before We Day so we could have a practice/meeting with the CP volunteers. A few of us missed the first couple of minutes because we were taking a staff photo on the We Day stage, but when we came back upstairs, Amber and I burst into the room, and the six staff members of CP did a skit (half improv, half planned) to show what you should and shouldn't do at We Day... it was hilarious! We split the group up into teams and then split the teams up amongst the venue so each group would have sections to cover. The night was pretty successful, but we definitely got a taste at how hectic We Day can be once rehearsals and such got pushed back. The CPs that were picked to dance onstage with Shawn Desman were stoked when they got to rehearse with them, and it was definitely a lot of fun being able to dance his choreography!

The next day at We Day it was even more hectic! For the last two years I have volunteered at We Day in Toronto, which is about three times the size of the Waterloo We Day.. but man oh man, it's totally different from the Staff side! We wore ridiculous (but rather entertaining) headsets so we could communicate with each other and be able to hear. Everyone's outfits the day of were just what we requested: Tight and Bright! We spent the day pumping up the crowd for: Marc & Craig, Shawn Desman, Al Gore, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Michel Chikwanine, Spencer West, Robin Wiszowaty, etc. I must say, my favorite speakers of the day were the Aboriginal speakers that presented on Aboriginal awareness and the importance of our Local Spotlight campaign. It was interesting to hear a girl's perspective of how she was a child soldier in Canada when the Canadian military tried invading their reserve. Al Gore and Jesse Jackson weren't as good as I was expecting them to be, a bit disappointing. Aside from that though, the day was all we could hope for and more!

Nathaniel and I at the CN Tower

Once we returned to Toronto, it was an exciting time because Nathaniel came to visit for the weekend! We decided to celebrate my birthday and Valentine's Day this past weekend since we couldn't be together on either day. I planned a whole adventure in the city with Bachelor style "date cards" to some of Toronto's best spots. We had hot chocolate at Soma, went ice skating at Nathan Philips Square, went to the Eaton Centre, went to the top of the CN Tower (he's been trying to get me up there for two years), and went to a nice Italian dinner. It really was an incredibly fun day filled with love and laughter :) I will be visiting him in April down in Virginia and couldn't be more excited for it!

Overall, my last week or so has been nothing short of exciting and fulfilling! I've had "Happy Birthday" sang to me at least four times by co-workers, shared my birthday with some of my heroes, and was able to spend some quality time with my favorite person. Coming up, I have many speeches each week, the Youth in Action Summit in a week and a half (where I get to see my favorite professor), and Easter weekend in VA to look forward to!

The O-North family

From my family (Toronto family that is) to your's -

In Peace,
Bria

"Distance is not for the fearful, it's for the bold. It's for those willing to spend a lot of time alone in exchange for a little time with the one they love. It's for those who know a good thing when they see it...even if they don't see it nearly enough."