15-year-old fundraises, fills 200 backpacks for students at CHEO, Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa

For Ottawa students, school has either already started or will be starting in the coming week, but not everyone can afford everything they need to get back into the classroom.

That’s why 15-year-old local philanthropist Ava James Sidoli got to work over the summer to raise money for her latest initiative, the Back to School Backpack Drive.

Sidoli is best known for her fundraising efforts for the Ottawa Food Bank, but this time around, she wanted to help underprivileged students get everything they need in order to have a successful school year.

The idea to fund raise for students was an idea that was inspired by Sidoli's own experiences.

“My mom was a teen mom when she got pregnant with me,” Sidoli explained to CityNews Ottawa. “She did have a lot of support of family and friends, but I did go to a school where I saw a lot of kids that didn’t have school supplies or lunches. So, I just wanted to give back and help kids that don’t have as much as they should.”

Harnessing the power of a GoFundMe page and social media and along with the help educator Lisa Meikle-Sigouin, Sidoli was able to reach her $10,000 goal. 

The money raised was able to buy 200 backpacks and stuff them each with pencils, pencil cases, binders and more supplies — not to mention 10 Chromebooks.

“It makes me feel really good,” Sidoli said. “I have done many other fundraisers but it is honestly a good feeling knowing that I’m helping people, and I know that I’m getting a positive response from the community.”

Fifty of the backpacks went to CHEO while the remaining 150 went to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Ottawa.

As for what’s next for Sidoli, she’ll be taking a bit of a break from fundraising as she heads back to school, herself.

But as the holidays approach, she’ll pick things up again as she prepares to launch her annual holiday fundraiser for the Ottawa Food Bank.