With a week to go before she jets off to a new career in Mississauga, Tej Kainth paid a special visit to the school “where it all started.”
Kainth was invited to tour Lord Kelvin Elementary School’s two reading oases after she agreed to make a $1,000 donation to buy books for the second oasis, currently being renovated.
Her donation came about after the chair of Richard McBride Elementary School’s parent advisory council, Jen Arbo, contacted the Lord Kelvin PAC and offered some of their surplus funds to help Kelvin buy books for its second reading oasis.
But because McBride is a registered charity, charity rules prevented the PAC from donating the funds to Kelvin’s PAC.Undeterred, Arbo set out to find someone to make the donation instead.
That’s how Kainth got involved.
“That morning, when I got the email, that was also the same day that I was going to spread my dad’s ashes and it was just very emotional, and right then it was like I didn’t even think twice, I was just like ‘Yep I’ll do it,’” Kainth said.
Born and raised in New Westminster, Kainth started school at Lord Tweedsmuir Elementary School but in Grade 5, her family moved across the 12th Street boundary and Kainth had to attend a new school – Lord Kelvin Elementary School.
She remembers it fondly and credits the move and the new school with helping her come out of her shell.
On Friday, Kainth met with Kelvin PAC co-chair Mary Trentadue and principal Ken Millard to make the donation.
“This is my way of just saying ‘thank you’ to New West,” she said. “I just wanted to help wherever I can, and this is where it started for me.
“Whatever I can do to help build future leaders in our city and give them that chance to be successful, and this school has done so much for me. This is where my inspiration and confidence and everything had come from.”
Kainth’s $1,000 donation will be used to stock the shelves of the second oasis. It’ll also include two Judy Blum books signed by Kainth herself.
Lord Kelvin’s PAC is always looking for donations to help with different projects at the school, including the new reading oasis. Anyone interested in donating can contact Trentadue by email at [email protected] or by phone at 7778-773-2390.
