National Philanthropy Day Highlight: Tina Guo
Throughout the month of November, the Association of Fundraising Professionals will be highlighting honourees from National Philanthropy Day chapter events around the world, showcasing outstanding donors, volunteers, corporations, foundations and others who are being recognized for their commitment to change and philanthropy.
Today we’re showcasing Tina Guo, Outstanding Youth Philanthropist, honoured by the AFP Calgary and Area Chapter.
With a long history of philanthropy, Tina organized fundraisers and events as a high school student, benefiting local and global charities including ShelterBox, the Calgary Humane Society, Care Canada, Free the Children, Save the Children, UNICEF, and more.
As a college student, Tina continued her philanthropic endeavors and focused her efforts on causes close to her – domestic violence and mental health. Tina helped to raise $34,000 for the Distress Centre Calgary ConnecTeen Program, served as co-chair for Outrun the Stigma, and founded Students Against Domestic Abuse Association, the first of its kind in Canada (SADAA), and led Canada’s first-ever SADAA walk known as Walk A Mile In Her Shoes.
“Growing up in a poor, first-generation immigrant family, I understood firsthand the effects of poverty,” said Tina. “Poverty in itself was not so much a burden as the lack of opportunity and privilege, from worrying about how we were going to afford our next meal, to the knowledge that my family would never be able to afford private tutoring sessions or study guides to supplement my education. Through sheer diligence, my family managed to remove us from that poverty, but through it, I had garnered a passion for assisting the marginalized and disadvantaged so that they could be afforded the same opportunities as me.”
The AFP Calgary and Area Chapter hosted its National Philanthropy Day event on November 14, 2019. To learn more about the event and honourees, please click here.
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