HALIFAX -- When Sadie Meneer noticed her school didn’t have a defibrillator, she took it upon herself to fix the problem.
The seven-year-old girl has spent the past few months raising enough money to buy one.
She accomplished what she set out to do -- and then some.
Sadie goes to Hammonds Plains Consolidated School. Since September, she’s been baking and selling dog treats in her spare time.
Her efforts paid off, raising $3,200 selling the treats around the Halifax Regional Municipality.
When she went to buy the defibrillator, Saint John Ambulance offered to cover the cost.
Then, Emergency Medical Care, which manages ambulances in Nova Scotia, chipped in another $1,000 -- leaving the seven-year-old with a pile of extra cash.
“We’re gonna give half to the breakfast program, and half to my teachers to buy some supplies for the class!” said a cheerful Sadie.
“We’re happy to have this,” said Lynn Corkum, the principal at Hammonds Plains Consolidated School, talking about their new defibrillator. “Because you never know when an emergency might happen, and it’s for the safety of everybody in the building.”
Sadie’s mom, Tracy Meneer, says she’s thrilled by her daughter’s work.
“I am so proud,” said Meneer. “She just…keeps going, and she’s already talking about next year, and everybody is just amazed at how much she’s done.”
Sadie’s mom wasn’t the only one who noticed.
RECOGNITION FROM THE NORTH POLE
Sadie came home from school one day to find a box on her front step.
According to her mom, it was from an early visit from Santa Claus.
“There was a card in there – and it said it was from Santa,” said Meneer.
Meneer says Sadie had been hurting since their last family dog had to be put down in May.
When Sadie opened the box, there was a puppy inside. She immediately burst into happy tears.
The puppy is a Mastiff named Jovie – Sadie hugged her as she introduced her.
The included card, signed by Santa, says he’s been watching, and noticed all her hard work.
