Serious side for Fat Cat
By Kathy Michaels - Kelowna Capital News - June 08, 2008
Caitln Pinneau, 10, Rayben Perry, 12, Andrea Tonkin, 12, Mikayla Naya, 13 and (front) Marissa Pinneau, 12, spent Saturday teaching other kids about life in Uganda at the Fat Cat Festival.
Pirates, clowns, mandolin players and, of course, children all made their mark at Waterfront Park during the Fat Cat Festival this weekend, but in one of the event's tents were a group of young people trying to make their mark in a much larger playing field.
Situated behind a banner marked NITEO, a handful of girls were working to raise awareness about Uganda.
Their goal, according to 12-year-old organizer Marissa Pinneau, was to do nothing less than "change the world."
"You've got to dream big, or not dream at all,"said the Grade 7 student.
Pinneau said she believes by educating her peers about the inequities between life in the western world, and life in places like Uganda she will be able to help put a stop to the debilitating circumstances in the African country.
And that's why she decided to get in touch with the local charity NITEO.
NITEO - which is Latin for the word flourish - forcuses on alleviating the poverty, lack of educational resources and opportunities in Uganda.
"For a really long time I thought I wanted to do something to help others, then one day I woke up and thought, 'Why don't I do this?'"she said.
She then contacted family friend Lori Oye who was involved with the organization, and got moving on a plan to attract further attention at the Fat Cat Festival.
"People here should realize what's happening there,"she said, adding that it was a bit of social "guilt"that prompted her to get involved.
"We have so much here, we have a good climate, air conditioning and access to education�they don't,"she added, pointing to a picture of a Uganda.
She was so motivated to close the gap between life in the two countries, that Pinneau also persuaded several of her friends to help her and, she was able to get the space for her NITEO booth donated by festival organizers, as well as all the craft supplies and the tent.
When all that work was squared away, she took to her computer, made a spreadsheet that oulined when and who would be helping run the booth, for every hour, of each day, then she finished all that off by making individualized nametags for each person involved.
She's been busy organizing her event at Fat Cat for some time, much to the pride of her mother. "She's made me really aware,"said Sheri Pinneau, noting that Marissa has worked tirelessly at making sure the event would run seamlessly.
"She's always been like this."
And according to Marissa, she always will be.
kmichaels@kelownacapnews.com