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Community / Press Release

Grade 6 class at Westmount Park Elementary to create and donate 50 dolls to Dolls of Hope

students holding dolls
Montreal - Thursday, May 12, 2022

After being inspired by the historical fiction novel Refugee and the local organization called Dolls of Hope, Sabrina Pianese’s Grade 6 class at Westmount Park Elementary School (15 Park Place) embarked on a project to create and donate 50 dolls to Ukrainian refugees.

On May 10, students presented over 100 completed dolls (more than double their goal) to the Dolls of Hope organization. The organization will now distribute these dolls where needed most.

Dolls of Hope (https://www.dollsofhope.org/) was started by a mother of five who, while visiting Greece, discovered a refugee camp and decided to launch a fundraiser to bring a little joy and comfort to children in refugee camps. She started making handmade dolls and bears to send to refugee children all over the world. Since 2016, Dolls of Hope has distributed handmade bears and dolls to more than 52,180 children in 41 countries.

“Our project began in January and over the past few months, seeing how much the Ukrainian people are suffering, we are even more appreciative of the project we have undertaken as a class,” said Ms. Pianese.

CTV Report: https://vimeo.com/708461514
Global TV Report: https://vimeo.com/708461929

About the English Montreal School Board

With a youth and adult sector population of more than 35,000 students, the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) is the largest English public school board in Quebec. Established on July 1, 1998, when the province created new boards along linguistic lines, the EMSB network consists of 77 schools and centres. For more details, visit the EMSB website at www.emsb.qc.ca.