While some of her friends are wrapping up lazy summer days, 16-year-old Grace Lawton is finishing up a cross-country tour with a dozen other teens on a mission of global peace.
Lawton, who is entering Grade 12 at Cochrane High School this year, boarded the Children’s International Summer Villages’ (CISV) Peace Bus in July for a 39-day cross-country trip that makes stops in each student’s home town to take part in a volunteer initiative centered on promoting global friendship.
“I really wanted to see the country and meet new people,” said Lawton. “We’ve done lots of gardening, we’ve helping build houses.”
The bus rolled into the Cochrane Ranche on the morning of Aug. 24, where the teens and two chaperones filed through the park and up to the Men of Vision statue on the hilltop to take part in the town’s Weed Pull for Cash initiative.
Angie Bascha with the town parks department commended the youth group for digging in and donating the $300 for their efforts raised to the community – to the Rock the Waves aquatic centre fundraising campaign.
“A group can come out and do a three-hour pull with us and earn $300 … today we’re targeting Canada thistle and sow thistle,” said Bascha.
Lawton’s 11-year-old sister, Makayla, was able to come out and help her big sister and new friends pull the invasive species – and spend a little time together before the bus pulls out and heads toward the west coast.
Saskia Van Beers is looking forward to wrapping up the trip in her hometown of Victoria, B.C., but said she really enjoyed the adventure and would recommend it to her peers.
“I’m really enjoying the trip ... the bus is kind of like a big family.”
