Neil George is a remarkable young man. At the age of 16, this Honour Roll student who recently graduated from Lindsay Place High School, Pointe-Claire, Que., has already proven that one person, who is determined and passionate, can have an impact on the world. In addition to his love of snowboarding, golf and baseball, he spends a lot of time raising money. Two years ago, Neil's passionate journey was launched into high gear as an apt extension of participation in his home congregation's (St. Columba by-the-Lake, Montreal) mentoring program, which paired an adult from the congregation with one of our six teens preparing to join the church. A few group get-togethers were interspersed with outings organized by each dyad. As discussions based on the Gospel of Luke led to casual outings or coffees at Chapters, mentors and teens alike experienced an awareness of not only the challenges faced by different generations, but the shared awareness of the spiritual paths each are traveling. The experience culminated with a weekend retreat at Mount Tremblant, where meals, hikes, and worship led to discussions linked to spirituality and what it means to join the church.
Following his participation in the program, Neil became the youngest elder in the history of St. Columba. The session, and the congregation as a whole, was seeking to be inclusive and to engage our youth in interesting and challenging ways, and Neil fit the vision to a “T.” As is his fashion, Neil adds a new dimension to the session. He asks questions that many elders would not, and his ability to challenge the adults' way of doing things is a breath of fresh air.
Two years ago, Neil was inspired by the words of Rev. Ian Fraser, who had travelled to Malawi with a delegation from national offices. His slide show and talks highlighted the immense problems faced by Africans suffering from HIV/AIDS. Also, Neil and his mother Doreen attended a speech by Steven Lewis where the audience was challenged to give help — now. This prompted Neil to report that he “didn't understand why people weren't helping.” Neil saw the “desperate need in the people's faces.” He felt that he could do something to make a difference. Neil speaks of his personal journey as he relates to God. Therefore, the comfortable and familiar surroundings of St. Columba seemed the place to start. With Fraser's encouragement, Neil began to draw up the plans necessary to raise more than an astounding $10,000 for the Towards a World Without AIDS campaign of Presbyterian World Service and Development. More specifically, St. Columba has been supporting totS, an AIDS prevention program run by Dr. Rick Allen for the Presbyterian Church of East Africa in Kenya.
First on his agenda was a Mums for Moms in Malawi. St. Columbans bought potted mums which were displayed in the sanctuary. Then at the end of the service, the purchasers took them home. Each mum contained a message providing more information about the TOTS program. The profit of more than $600 served to launch his zealous plan. Next a car wash was held at St. Columba. Several youths and Neil's dad, Dave, washed over 20 cars and raised a few more hundred dollars. A harvest dinner furthered this good start. Other teens from Neil's mentoring class joined him and Catherine Notley to cook and serve seven turkeys, loads of mashed potatoes, gravy, lots of vegetables and homemade pies. At this event more than $1,200 was raised. Encouraged by this success, Neil worked out a deal with a local nightclub, that he and his friends would get professional talent to donate their time, and Neil would guarantee the crowd. Monies from ticket sales would go to the fund. The evening was a huge success, as not only did the 200-plus crowd have fun enjoying the talents of Guffman Five and Dawn Tyler Watson, but the ticket sales added another $6,500 to the cause.
The spring of 2007 brought with it another Mums for Moms campaign. The beautiful flowers helped to remind the congregation of the continuing plight of those in the throes of AIDS. Neil's ideas abound: fashion shows, golf tournaments, more dinners and car washes. the sky is the limit for this teen.
Neil has graduated from high school and now heads off to Dawson College to study social science and math. He plans to pursue his interests in cooking and business and looks forward to a future where his passionate response to the greater need of others continues. His desire is to visit Africa, to witness the situations, see what good is being done, and in true “Neil fashion” discover how he can help and play a role in easing the suffering of others.
We need to celebrate the good deeds of our teenagers; not so hard to do when Neil George is in charge of the plan!
