Everyone, meet Mike.
Mike has lived in Canada for more than ten years. He was born
in New York State and lived there for a while with his parents. His dad was an American, but his mom was Canadian.
Mike’s mom brought her three boys to Canada in 2009. Mike was about 13 years old and his two brothers were 11 and 9. They went to school and Mike graduated from GELA in 2017.
In all the years the three boys lived in Canada, they had no status as a Canadian citizen. Now that they are adults, money is an issue. They can’t work because they don’t have a social insurance number. They can’t even go on welfare. They have never seen a doctor because they don’t have (and can’t get) a health card.”
Late in February 2020, Why Not started the process of getting the identification the boys needed to apply for a Canadian Citizenship Certificate. COVID slowed the process considerably but today…
WHY NOT CONGRATULATES MIKE, a new Canadian Citizen!
What does Mike have to say? “I’m so excited! I can work … finally!” He plans to attend the upcoming St. Leonard’s Job Fair and distribute his new resume.
Mike’s two brothers are still waiting for their certificates (delayed due to additional minor complications). We look forward to welcoming them as citizens very soon!
As an important side note, more and more we at Why Not are recognizing that without a leg-up at key points in a youth’s life, it can be almost impossible to take the next step toward a new, better future.
Your donation to Why Not goes toward all sorts of expenses and this is just one example. Getting identification for the three brothers above has cost hundreds of dollars – worth every penny. This type of need is growing and we absorb these costs from our operating fund. Truth is, we often fill the role of “parents” for our youth and as such, we dig into our parental pocketbook to pay for these absolute necessities.
As Why Not staff gets to know the unique and exceptional needs of some of our most at-risk youth, we recognize that gaining identification, extreme medical costs (emergency dental, eyewear), or even the application fee for post-secondary may be keeping a youth from moving into a positive future. We invite you to partner with us by making a donation today.