Desi News Corp - Index

Desi News Corp - Desi News - April 2009 - Index

met or exceeded their target.
“I remember the year I organized
it, three years ago. We
announced the drive at Sikh
temples and set up donation
boxes. Periodically, volunteers
emptied the boxes and tallied
the donations and that year, too,
we exceeded our target.”
Sunny is also happy about
the fact that the annual food
drive has helped change the
profile of the donations to the
Daily Bread Food Bank. The
atta, dal and chawal that the
South Asian community donates
helps feed the needy from
the community who depend on
the food bank.
“When you put a cause in
front of our community, they
always step up,” says Sunny with
supreme confidence.
The GGSCF holds the CN
Tower Stair Climb each April to
benefit the World Wildlife Fund.
All the money raised through
pledges and donations, as well as
half the registration amount
goes to help finance World Wildlife
Fund’s initiatives.
Sunny has scaled the Toronto
landmark several times.
“There are so many steps!
You feel awesome when you get
to the top! My best time was
when I was 17 – I did it in 14
minutes!”
The first year the Brampton
branch of the GGSCF organized
the Run Across Canada, Sunny
was there at the forefront.
That year, they ran from
Toronto to Ottawa, and the run
took one week to complete, raising
$300,000.
“It was raining and people
were asking if we were still going
to go ahead with the run,”
recalls Sunny.
“But you should have seen
the enthusiasm among the volunteers
– the energy levels were
amazing! I actually ended up participating
with my mamaji.”
He describes the Foundation
as a close-knit unit.
“The first meeting I attended,
I was shy going in. But the
friends I made that day are my
friends to-date. They are like
family.
“The Foundation was started
to mark the 300th anniversary of
the founding of Sikhism. The
younger members of the community
were looking for a way to
get the community involved in
making the world a better place.
They adopted the motto, Children
• ABOVE: A seniors’ trip organized
by the GGSCF.
helping children.
“Everyone you meet is a role
model. Everyone has something
to contribute. Everyone is striving
for the same goal.”
To-date the Foundation has
raised over $1.3 million for various
causes around the globe.
• To learn more, visit www.
ggscf.com, or call 905-201-0755
or 1-800-684-0048.
“When you put a cause in front of our community,
they always step up.” SUNDEEP SANDHU
NARI MAVALWALLA /DESI NEWS
A spiritual
philosophy
Guru Gobind Singhji
(1666-1708) was the
tenth and last of the
ten human form Gurus of
Sikhism.
He became Guru on November
11, 1675, at the age of
nine, following in the footsteps
of his father Guru Teg Bahadurji.
Before Guru Gobind Singhji
passed on, he nominated Sri
Guru Granth Sahibji, the faith’s
holy book as the next perpetual
Guru of the Sikhs.
He moulded the Sikh religion
into its present form,
infusing the spirit of both sainthood
and soldier in the minds
and hearts of his followers. He
showed them how to fight
oppression to restore justice,
peace, righteousness and to
uplift the down-trodden.
His teachings are very scientific
and suitable for all times. He
called all people the sons of
God, sharing His Kingdom
equally. For himself, he used the
word slave or servant of God.
“God has no marks, no colour,
no caste, and no ancestors, No
form, no complexion, no outline,
no costume, and is indescribable,”
he said.