Barrie teen embarks on 4th humanitarian mission to help war refugee children
A Barrie boy is set to embark on his fourth humanitarian mission to help refugee children.
Over the past year, Oscar Oliver has been putting together backpacks filled with everyday necessities for children who have fled the war in Ukraine and are now refugees in Poland.
"I wanted to give something to them because I knew they had no homes and they were afraid for their lives and running away, and I wanted to give them something as small as a backpack to help them, and I just wanted to bring a smile to their faces," said Oscar.
The 13-year-old has been raising money to assemble the backpacks through his family's children's foundation in Poland.
Each backpack includes clothing, educational items, personal hygiene products, and a toy.
"Even a small personal gift means so much to others in need. We just give not only toys and backpacks, we give them hope," said Joanna Polakowska, director of the Foundation of Children's Wishes.
Oscar is also planning to deliver backpacks to children affected by a devastating earthquake in Turkiye.
"I thought that I could help them because they have nothing, they have no home, all their stuff is destroyed, and they're living on the streets, and I thought that I could help them by giving something," he said.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
The young teen's goal for this mission is to raise enough money to buy just over 1,000 backpacks, bringing his overall total to 3,000 since he began his mission.
Oscar will be heading to Poland on March 11, where he will be packing up the backpacks to be delivered just before Easter weekend.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.