That's my sister!

Teen inspired to raise money to stop slavery

Marcel Tetrault, Comox Valley Echo

Published: Tuesday, January 27, 2009

A Comox Valley teenager is using chocolate bars and bracelets to do her part to stop the scourge of slavery.

Samantha Millar, a 16-year-old Courtenay girl, sprung into action when, during a series of sermons on social justice at her church, she found out that there are an estimated 27 million people still in bondage across the globe.

"Basically for every person we see in Canada, that's somebody in slavery," said Millar. "That's impossible to imagine. I think that we've really lost respect for people and people have just become a product.

"It just kind of hit something in me. It just pulled at my heart -- I was really quite shocked. It made me angry enough that I wanted to do something about it."

So she enlisted the help of about 25 of her friends and began to manufacture hand-made beaded bracelets.

"A lot of my friends didn't even believe me when I told them (the statistics)," said Millar. "But they've been so supportive of my work. They've been great -- it's kind of become like a team thing."

Once the bracelets were ready Millar set up a booth at her church with information about some of the injustices that people in various parts of the world routinely suffer and began to sell them, not only earning money but also raising awareness.

"To me, it's a lot more important that people are aware of what is going on," she said. "It seems ridiculous to me that (the problems) are so huge and so many people aren't aware of it."

She soon had $300 that she donated to the International Justice Mission (IJM), a Washington, D.C.-based human rights agency that fights to secure justice for victims of violent oppression like slavery, rape and human trafficking.

And she is now working on her next project, selling Valentine's Day gift baskets containing chocolates, candies and, in each basket, the story of a different person who has been rescued from an oppressive circumstance.

By the end of this year, she plans to donate another $1,000 to IJM.

"Her heart is just to help people," said Millar's pastor, Northgate Foursquare Church's Scott Gaglardi.

"Here is a young person who is certainly not living selfishly, but living beyond herself. She is intentionally broadening her horizons and allowing her heart to be tugged with some of the painful issue of our world.

"It was really great to see her response -- she is a great young lady."

The Valentine's Day baskets are being sold by donation at each of the church's 6 p.m. Saturday services and 10 a.m. Sunday services until they are all gone. They are also available at the church office.