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Society
Pint-sized Advocate
 The
elite Empire Club in Toronto invites speakers of tall stature to address
its members. This one, on April 21, 2005, was no exception. Only, special
arrangements had to be made. Nine-year-old Hannah Taylor stood on a trunk
so that the assembled audience could see her.
The gathering that included corporate bigwigs was visibly moved as the
pint-sized advocate for the homeless spread her simple message: People
need to share more and be kinder to the less fortunate, she said in a soft
but firm voice. The youngest-ever speaker in the club's history, Hannah
was on a platform that has been graced in the past by world leaders such
as Winston Churchill, the Dalai Lama and Margaret Thatcher. There was
obviously a reason for this Grade 3 student to be invited here. In the
past four years, Hannah's Ladybug Foundation has raised almost half a
million Canadian dollars to fund projects for the homeless.
What started as an effort by Hannah in her classroom at school has now
expanded to a formal organization with a wide network of supporters and
volunteers. This girl with an impish smile has made many people reach into
their pockets. And whether it is addressing children her age or people
closer in age to her grandparents - at schools or political and corporate
functions - she speaks with confidence, charm and wit.
At the Empire Club, an often-repeated question was put to her - will she
stop what she is doing? Hannah's response: "No. I will always help and
I'll always care, even when I'm 90." As the audience laughed, she added,
"I knew you would like that."
Although her parents help her out with her speeches, the ideas are always
hers. Asked if she is ever daunted by the stature of the people she is
addressing, the answer is an emphatic no. Nor is she nervous. She
remembers being a bit nervous when she made her first public speech at the
age of six and says, "It took a little while to make me not nervous
because I get very excited; but now I am calmer."
The third of Bruce and Colleen Taylor's four children, Hannah's life is a
privileged one. She studies at an elite private school and lives in an
exclusive suburb in Winnipeg. But none of that has filtered her approach
or attitude towards the less fortunate. She was just five years old when
she spotted a man eating from a garbage bin. It is a sight most people do
not even register, but Hannah did and asked her mother why he had no food.
"For a whole year she said, 'Mommy, where's he eating? Where's he
sleeping? Who loves him? Who cares for him?'" recalls Hannah's mother. The
question, Colleen Taylor admits, was discomfiting because she did not know
what to do about it. However, in the face of her daughter's persistence
she told Hannah that doing something to help the homeless might make her
feel less sad.
So Hannah decided to tell her Grade 1 class about the problem, and wrote
her first speech at age six. She then appealed to her teachers,
classmates, friends and family members and began collecting spare coins in
'ladybug' jars - made out of baby-food bottles and painted red and black
like ladybugs. The reason for choosing ladybug as a mascot was because "it
means luck". Those jars, to "make change" for the homeless, were the start
of the Ladybug Foundation, which raises money for charities that
help homeless people.
Fortunately, Hannah's confidence and drive has not impacted the child in
her. The moment any question is directed at her mother during the
interview, she puts away the ladybug soft toy she has been cuddling all
along, to slip away and do her own thing - whether it is rummaging through
the drawers or to toy with her skipping rope. Like many privileged
children of her age, she loves to draw, ride horses and go to school. At
the same time, she is a trifle disappointed that her speaking engagements
are not busy enough for her to "skip as much school" as she wants to!
In the past three years, she has addressed audiences as large as 16,000
and as high-ranking as Canada's Prime Minister Paul Martin. Everywhere she
goes, Hannah makes reference to what is an important fact in her
perception - "I know some people are afraid of homeless people." But, she
continues, "They are great people wrapped in old clothes, with sad hearts.
Don't be afraid of them, be kind to them. If they're cold, share your
mitts. If they're sad, give them a smile. If they're hungry, give
them a sandwich."
She readily admits to being scared in the initial days. Asked what kept
her going, she ponders briefly and says, "I do not know, their smiles I
guess. I like to make them happy." One of her homeless friends is Rick,
who frequents a shelter in Winnipeg. "He is a beautiful person," says
Hannah, "and when I met him he cried. I asked him why, and he said because
I was hugging him and looking at him and talking to him. He said
they were happy tears."
When people refuse to give help it does not hurt Hannah as much as it
confuses her because, she says, "it is so easy to love them". She is
convinced most are good people who have just fallen on bad times and need
to be helped. And even if they have brought the situation upon themselves
due to substance abuse, her thoughtful response is, "It does not exactly
matter. It just matters how you act and they are good people. They need
our love."
During her visit to Toronto, Hannah wanted to track down a homeless friend
she had met two years ago. She had her lawyer-father take out time during
his business visits to the city, to find him. And he did. This time,
Hannah says, she would meet him with a sandwich, a drink and a sweater to
keep him warm.
"She's a very determined, stubborn child," says her mother who is proud of
her daughter's perseverance and highly appreciative of the support that
has come from various quarters for the Ladybug Foundation. Taylor says she
and her husband are careful to teach Hannah about the darker side of
homelessness and let her know that many battle substance abuse problems.
They also shield Hannah from watching or reading the reports on television
and in newspapers that result from her frequent interviews. "The danger is
that she could get caught up in what people think of her.... I just think
it might make her nervous, might make her think, 'Is this about what I
have to say or who I am?"
The nine-year-old has a heart problem, an inoperable condition that was
discovered at birth, but she does not let that slow her efforts. The girl
who describes herself as "just a normal kid with a passion", says she does
not know how she makes a difference in the lives of the homeless. When
pressed, she says, "I hope I am bringing them at least some hope."
� V. Radhika
May 15, 2005
By arrangement with
Womens Feature Service
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