Life is once forever and for one teacher of Yellowknife, this means trying to make the community a better place by distributing Winter clothing for the Moose News Warm Souls: Coats for the cold campaign.
Her name is Courtney Jung and she works at Mildred Hall School (MHS) in Yellowknife.
“I have been teaching for eight years,” Jung said. “I am from the north and very happy to be able to come back and teach here.”
Being a teacher who is involved in the community Jung has made it a personal mission of hers to help children who lack the proper Winter clothing for this time of year. A mission which her entire family is helping with.
“I have gone through the donations Moose News kindly supplied and most of it was adult winter gear so my husband dropped off the adult gear to Salvation Army shelter yesterday,” Jung said. “My foster children helped me organize the children gear into various sizes.”
Jung says that she sent another email to Wheldeh letting them know and she has given quite a bit to students at MHS.
“I also have a lot of infant gear (that I received from other donations in town) that I am going to see if any of the Women’s shelters would benefit from,” Jung said. “For families when infants or toddlers that are in need.”
Jung heard from others that other schools are collecting as well.
“Not sure which ones but if so I think it is great as the more people collecting and donating the more children we can reach,” Jung said. “Most of what I’ve seen is many children are wearing clothing that is too small – they have grown out of it or children wearing spring/fall clothing.”
Jung is a teacher who cares and says that usually if she sees a child with gear that is too small or wearing gear that is not warm enough she will just ask them if they have any winter jackets or snow pants at all.
“If they say they don’t I offer them to come and look at what I have,” Jung said. “I want to leave the decision up to them as I don’t want to assume they don’t have anything.”
Amber Henry from The Copperhouse Resturant is a sponsor of the Moose 100.1 Warm Souls: Coats for the Cold campaign and was on hand with her two children for the donation of the Winter clothing provided by generous residents of Yellowknife to Jung.
“The Moose 100.1 has a great program,” Henry said. “I’m excited that we’re able to help.”
Jung told Moose News it’s common to see a lot of the older students in town not wearing warm Winter gear but that is because they have chosen not to.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t have it,” Jung said. “So I just ask.”
Jung, however, has gained a new nickname in her household for her community work she is involved with this holiday season.
“One of my foster kids called me the snowsuit queen and that made me laugh,” Jung said. “Local teacher would be better I think.”
The Moose 100.1 is still accepting your donations of Winter gear this holiday season to help keep children warm as requests from community organizations for warm clothes still continue.
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