Hannah Taylor is a first year, U0 Arts student from Winnipeg, Manitoba. She is the founder of the Ladybug Foundation, a registered charity that raises money and awareness for impoverished people. Ladybug is affiliated with over 60 different shelters, food banks, and soup kitchens across Canada, and their work has directly and indirectly raised over $4 million for the homeless. We sat down with Hannah to find out about all the good work her foundation is doing.
Maya Koparkar for Her Campus McGill (HC): So obviously, there’s a story here, as to why you started the Ladybug Foundation. What is it?
Hannah Taylor (HT): When I was five years old, I saw a man eating out of a dumpster. I had never seen something like this before, and was therefore confused and wondered what the man was doing. I asked my mom, and she told me that the man did not have enough food to eat. My five-year old heart could not let go of this. I kept worrying about this man and asking questions about him. One night, as I was being tucked into bed, I asked my mom about the man and she told me “If you do something about it, your heart won’t be so sad”. I ended up giving a talk to my grade 1 class about homelessness, which led to us organizing our first fundraiser, where we collected clothes for a local shelter. I kept speaking to others about what we could do to help. Eventually, my connections got big enough that Ladybug became a registered charity when I was 8 years old. It was then that the worry in my heart started to lift.
(Above) Hannah at 8 years old, attending her first Big Boss lunch, where she met with leaders in Winnipeg to talk about helping the homeless.
HC: What would you consider your biggest accomplishment in working with the foundation?
HT: I honestly never thought the foundation would get this big, I just felt that it was something I needed to do. The work itself is so rewarding, because when you give from the heart you get so much back. Giving people hope is my biggest goal, and I especially love it when I can help kids realize “If she can do it, I can do it”.
HC: Has there been a particular person or event that has stood out to you in your time with Ladybug?
HT: When I was 10 years old, I was in Toronto, visiting a shelter for homeless youth that was seeking our support. I was being given a tour, and eventually the kids from the shelter began to join in and tell me stories about their lives and their projects. As I was saying goodbye to everyone, I noticed there was one girl who hadn’t said anything. She must have been older than me, but was so small for her age. She stepped out from the crowd, hugged me, and said, “Before today, I thought that nobody loved me, and now I know that you do”.
HC: Who has been your biggest inspiration throughout this process?
HT: I have been inspired by countless people but there are two in particular that come to mind. The first is my mother. She is the strongest, most loving, caring human being I’ve ever met. The second is a man named Rick, who I met when I was 7 on my first homeless shelter visit. Rick was homeless for 25 years, and prior to this, grew up in a residential school and dealt with addiction problems throughout his life. When I visited his shelter, he gave me a big hug and thanked me so much for caring about everyone in the shelter. Today, Rick is doing incredibly well. He has retired from his job, has his own place to live, and is even part of our advisory board. Rick inspires me because of who he is. He was able to rise above everything he had to deal with in his life, and has always been so wise, generous, and gentle, when life hasn’t been that way to him at all. I call him Mooshum, which means ‘grandpa’ in Ojibway.
HC: The McGill community is obviously, no stranger to homelessness. What advice would you give to a student who might see a homeless person while walking along the street to go shopping, for example?
HT: If the person asks from some change, give them some pocket change. If you’re going in to get food, bring out an extra sandwich. Or even simply say “Hello” or ask “How are you?”. Being homeless is incredibly lonely and isolating, and reminding people that they matter is so important. I’m sure everyone knows how good it feels when someone stops to say hi and acknowledge your presence. It’s the same for anyone living on the street.
HC: Where do you see the foundation in the future?
HT: I hope that our education program grows, since it is now entirely online and anyone in the world can access it. I’ll still continue to actively work with Ladybug- my role has changed a little bit because school is so demanding, but I’ve found that Skype is a great tool for speaking. Besides this, I hope that it continues to grow and is able to reach out to a lot more people. Ultimately though, I hope that one day we’re going to be out of business.