Twelve-year-old Oscar Oliver usually spends his time practicing figure skating, but in early April, he will be heading to Poland to help kids his age who fled the war in Ukraine by donating backpacks filled with essentials.
Oliver鈥檚 鈥淏uy a Backpack鈥� campaign is raising money to give Ukrainian refugees new backpacks filled with essentials they might not have been able to bring with them from home when they fled: school supplies, toys and toiletries.
鈥淎 lot of them don鈥檛 have anything, so just to give up my sport [right now] to try and give them something would be a really nice gesture,鈥� he told 麻豆影视 Channel on Sunday.
鈥淚鈥檓 a kid and I know how [I] would feel if I didn鈥檛 have any of that.鈥�
The pre-novice figure skating champion is from Barrie, Ont. and is a dual Polish and Canadian citizen. He said that having a backpack full of your own belongings is hugely important for kids.
鈥淔or me it鈥檚 very important because it has everything I need in there,鈥� he said of his own backpack. 鈥淚f I were to leave and I didn鈥檛 have any of that, I would feel lost.鈥�
Since Russia invaded Ukraine at the end of February, more than 2.2 million refugees have fled into Poland, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the majority of whom are women and children.
Oliver said that he knows children in that situation are scared.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I decided to launch a 鈥楤uy a Backpack鈥� campaign,鈥� he said.
鈥淪o they鈥檙e not only just scared, they can also have something that is useful in their lives, so I can at least help them a little bit.鈥�
He and his mother will be travelling to Poland in the week after Easter to deliver the backpacks to refugee contact centres.
People interested in helping can Currently, they鈥檝e raised the money for 214 backpacks.
鈥淥ur goal is about 300, right now,鈥� Oliver said.
