Grande Prairie, AB – What does a pig mean to you? That’s the question Michelle King sets out to answer in her prize-winning short story titled “Faith. Family. Friends. Farm.” Sharing sweet and heartbreaking recollections of childhood in tapped out, hardworking farm families, Michelle weaves a fascinating, personal tale. She submitted the story to the Lake Winnipeg Writer’s Contest, which this time had the theme of “Year of the Pig." Michelle felt honored to win and decided to pay it forward in support of education.
“The prize amount was $100, which I will match, so $200 will go towards the Willis Family Scholarship, a division of the G.M. Willis Family Endowment Fund, in partnership with the Interlake Foundation. Each year, they award a $1,000 scholarship to a Stonewall Collegiate graduating student, who enters post-secondary school in the fields of agriculture or business,” says Michelle.
“It’s my hope that others see this as a friendly challenge and donate the remaining $800 for a fully-funded scholarship from Sutton!”
Michelle’s story will be included in Voices, an annual publication by the Lake Winnipeg Writer’s Group. She has been invited to read at the book launch, which will take place at 7p.m. on November 23 in Winnipeg at McNally Robinson, one of Canada’s largest independent bookstores.
Finding a captivating way to share her slice of farm life near the small town of Teulon in the Interlake was rewarding. Giving away the prize money and matching it has been even nicer. Next comes bringing the magic of books to kids in need.
“I had a teacher reach out to me a couple weeks ago about raising funds for kids, who can't afford books at Scholastic Fairs. She is a librarian and said she sees the same kids come in and look longingly at books, day after day until the fair is over, but can't afford to buy. It touched my heart. All kids can go to the libraries, sure, but to have a special book that means something to you, that you get to take home and keep, read over and over, dream about, and perhaps pass on to your kids someday? That's priceless. That's what memories are made of and we are going to make this happen!”
Michelle and the librarian have been inviting anonymous donations, then children win books in a fun draw so that no one feels singled out as being impoverished.
Sutton is a 100% Canadian-owned and operated company with more than 7,000 REALTORS® in over 200 offices nationwide. To find out more about Sutton, visit www.sutton.com. To learn more about Sutton Spirit, visit www.suttonspirit.com.
Sutton Group Realty Services Ltd. Contact:
Brooke Matthews
604-691-1689
Sutton Group - Grande Prairie Professionals Contact:
Michelle King
780-876-5464
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