Ottawa students secure funding to ship PPE to northern Indigenous schools

A group of Ottawa Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) high school students who hit a road block trying to send PPE to northern Indigenous schools has found someone to ship their gear, at no cost to them. 

Founder of Star of Life Project Daniel Bersyniow-Naane and his classmates at Sir Robert Borden High School gathered over 10,000 masks, along with 500 bottles of hand sanitizer and 120 face shields, but had no way to ship the products due to high costs.

Now, the students have found a partner to ship the PPE up north and say it's all thanks to CityNews and other media outlets who covered their story.

Richard Rutkowski, a real estate advisor with Engel & Völkers Ottawa, and the company itself have promised to cover all the shipping expenses for the students. 

In an email to CityNews, Bersyniow-Naane said they have notified all of the schools and communities who are set to receive the PPE and that he and his team are excited to see this project through until the end.