A Miss Universe Canada contestant is hosting a fundraiser this weekend in North Delta to help SOS Children's Villages Canada.
Samantha Lal, who lives in Surrey, is heading to Windsor, Ont. later this month to compete at the Miss Universe Canada pageant July 25 to 27.
As part of her pageant efforts, Lal is working to raise awareness and funds for an organization called SOS Children's Villages Canada in support of three projects:
- Empowering Adolescent Girls in Costa Rica, which delivers information to youth on gender dynamics, power dynamics and sexual/reproductive health rights;
- Familias Unidas, based out of the Dominican Republic, where SOS Children’s Villages works alongside parents, community leaders and local child protection structures to empower vulnerable women and families in an impoverished neighbourhood; and
- Girls Take The Lead, a project based out of Nicaragua that works to empower teenage girls by creating safe and protective spaces so that they are able to lead a life free of violence. In 2025 there will be a second phase of the project called Girls Take The Lead: Promoting Adolescents’ Right to Bodily Autonomy.
In a press release, Lal notes that her involvement with SOS Children's Villages stems from her "love of humanity."
Lal graduated from Simon Fraser University in 2023 with a major in international studies and a minor in Indigenous studies.
She notes that, having always worked with children, she knew she wanted to use her education "to create a better world for them."
As part of the pageant process, Lal has the chance to support a humanitarian project, and she's focused on becoming part of "transformational change" for women, girls and children in Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.
This Sunday, July 14, she's hosting a fundraiser at the North Delta Recreation Centre from 1:30 to 3:45 p.m. in the main hall. Entry is by donation, and there will be light refreshments and a raffle draw, with proceeds to SOS Children's Villages Canada.
Donations of $10 or more are eligible for a tax receipt.
For information or to RSVP, you can directly message Lal on Instagram @_samanthaaa.lal or email slalvolunteer@gmail.com.
