British Columbia teen inspired by coffee to volunteer for 350 hours

SAANICH, British Columbia –

Although she had no interest in drinking coffee at the time, Sakshi Turnbull noticed a series of older people who did, but didn’t.

“There were these people who couldn’t get coffee for themselves,” Sakshi remembers remarking at the community gathering.

So, spontaneously and alone, Sakshi, then seven years old, offered to help them.

“She walked up to people and said, ‘Can I offer you a cup of coffee or tea?’ » recalls Carol Turnbull, Sakshi’s mother, with a smile. “And then she left!”

After taking orders from the foreigners, Sakshi delivered all the drinks to their seats.

“And they just had a huge smile on their face, which made me so happy,” Sakshi says. “I had the biggest smile on my face that day.”

It was so wonderful that Sakshi asked her mother if she could start helping more people.

“And his love for giving back just grew more and more,” Carol says.

Over the past three years, Sakshi has volunteered nearly 350 hours – from cleaning community spaces during Covid, to shoveling snow from other people’s driveways, to watering her neighbors’ gardens.

“Whenever Sakshi sees this need, she is there to help,” Carol smiles.

While Sakshi’s most recent volunteer roles include working as a thrift store employee and nonprofit food distributor, the now 14-year-old aspires to become a police officer.

“It’s amazing to me what officers have to risk to protect people,” Sakshi says. “I would be happy to sacrifice my own life to save that of others.”

Although this Grade 9 student hopes to start making a big contribution through policing, Sakshi says she will never stop doing small acts of kindness that simply inspire smiles.

“If I can help anyone,” Sakshi smiled. “I know it’s a great feeling.”