WELLFEST 2 - Key-note Speaker: Amanda Belzowski

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Eleven year-old Amanda Belzowski has been holding her annual event, Amanda's Lemonade Stand, in support of the Heart and Stroke Foundation since 1999. In 2008, Amanda held her 10th Anniversary Lemonade Stand and her fundraiser raised over $50,000. Amanda is in charge of every part of her annual event – from contacting entertainers and contributors to writing out business proposals to presenting to companies in order to get support. Each year her event has almost doubled it’s contribution and she has done all of that without any corporate sponsorship. To date, she has raised over $102,087.18. She has directed the money she raises towards funding and raising awareness for Paediatric Heart and Stroke Research and she has helped special research projects such as Dr. B. McCrindle’s, at The Hospital for Sick Children. Amanda wants to teach everyone that Heart and Stroke issues affect all of us, even kids, and she is determined to “Help People whose Hearts are Broken”. She does this ‘one glass of lemonade at a time’.

Amanda has appeared many times in all forms of media over the years and always uses this great exposure to increase awareness about the importance of encouraging others to contribute to worthy causes. Many years ago when asked what she hopes people learn from her hard work and efforts, she responded by suggesting that every child out there should have a Lemonade Stand for some worthwhile cause. If we all did that, we could fix the world. Over the years, Amanda has won over the hearts of some special people such as Donald Trump, David Copperfield, Mike “Pinball” Clemons, and Howie Mandel to name a few, who have all donated wonderful items for her auction that she has at her 3 hour Lemonade Stand.

This year, 2008, Amanda was the top online fundraiser for The Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Ride for Heart and was awarded with the Heart and Stroke Philanthropy Award. She received the Anne and Ed Mirvish Outstanding Achievement Award for Young People 2008. She was also honoured with the Association of Fundraising Professionals Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy Award for 2008. She is currently being profiled on TVO’s Get Involved television show airing in February and was also honoured with the Super Citizen Award from TVO Kids. In past years, Amanda has received the United Way Get In The Way Award as well as Junior Citizen of the Year Award from OCNA and was chosen as one of Toronto’s Hometown Heroes by Post Magazines.

Amanda not only supports the Heart and Stroke Foundation but also volunteers and raises money for other organizations, such as the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Canadian Cancer Society. Amanda truly believes that “You are Never Too Little or Too Young to Make a Big Difference in this World!!!”