The Tidbits of Change Foundation announced today three young Canadians who are awarded for their inspiring stories and achievements with a mentor or parent.

The foundation aims to champion these incredible stories by celebrating youths who collaborate with a parent/mentor on a project or adventure, in addition to awarding the recipients a financial bursary, ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 CAD to support their post-secondary education.

“There are Canadian youth doing incredible things,” said Hali ScottSmith, co-founder of the Tidbits of Change Foundation. “There were so many great stories we heard this year. I can imagine it was difficult for our selection committee to narrow it down, especially with such a variety of inspiring stories. The three individuals recognized should be very proud of their achievements and the ripple effect their stories may have.”

Felix Townsend (Esquimalt, B.C.)

Felix Townsend received the 2024 Tidbits of Change Award for his amazing efforts to invoke One Million Acts of Love. Since Felix’s younger sister lost her life to a rare disease called Blau syndrome, just before her seventh birthday, Felix and his parents have collaborated on a heartfelt project to help advance research into the disease. “We couldn’t be more proud to award Felix with this bursary,” explained Greg Scott, co-founder of the Foundation. “His efforts are spreading across the world and the entire Lexi’s Legacy project that Felix and his parents initiated is an inspiring story for all of us and well worth looking into.”

Kayla Dixon, University of Alberta (from Kamloops, B.C.)

A Youth Inspiration Bursary Award, presented by HEAD/Tyrolia, is awarded to Kayla Dixon, a first-year University of Alberta student, who took on an amazing initiative with her dad and grandfather while she was still in high school. Kayla is a passionate competitive waterski and wakeboard enthusiast, but she took note of how her sport lacked special equipment for adaptive athletes and took it upon herself to change that. She began to design special equipment with her dad – and then joined her grandfather in his woodworking shop to make and build the equipment. Their amazing collaborative efforts have made it possible for adaptive athletes in the B.C. Interior to experience competition in an entirely new way.  

Cassie McNutt, Kamloops, B.C.

Cassie McNutt, a student in Kamloops, is receiving a Youth Inspiration Bursary Award, presented by Kal Tire. Cassie saw a desperate need for warm clothing to help others who were less fortunate in her City. She set out to drum up donations in coordination with a spectacular Christmas light display she worked on with her father. Then she and her mom collaborated further on spreading their efforts which have evolved over the past few years into an annual Charity Drive that has impacted their entire city.

All three of these beautiful initiatives are being recognized for their impact on their communities and the world. “When you talk to the people behind them,” added Greg. “You can immediately see how their collaborations have brought them so much closer together as well.”

The hope of the Tidbits of Change Foundation is that a ripple effect continues, where these amazing efforts and initiatives will inspire others to do their own passion projects. The application window for the 2025 bursaries opens on December 15^th. If you know deserving Canadian youth, please encourage them to contact the Foundation. More information at www.tidbitsofchange.org