ELEVATE- Thank you Newfoundland

It all started with basketball. This game took ELEVATE and I across the country from Ajax, Ontario, to St. John’s, Newfoundland. The game of basketball has taught me a lot of important life lessons including, but certainly not limited to, being

resilient, believing in yourself and most recently, the magic of spreading positivity. You see, last year I discovered that as I tried to spread positivity, I received it back. The more I encouraged and uplifted my teammates, the more they did so for me. Within the first month of practice, we were all telling each other “You’re sick” at every opportunity.

But to take all the credit for myself would be wrong. My teammates always supported me anyways and they all surprised me by how interested in ELEVATE they were. They all began asking me about the gear as soon as I arrived on campus that year and it wasn’t long before the girl’s team began to do so as well. As I continued to spread positivity and continued to stress the importance of being confident and believing in yourself always, the support I received grew steadily.

Coming to Newfoundland has been a truly amazing experience and the level of kindness experienced here is truly unmatched. At first I thought that people here were supporting me just because of that. But while the people here are naturally already extremely supportive, I began to realize throughout the year that it wasn’t the only reason they were supporting me. People weren’t just supporting ELEVATE because they liked me, they were doing so because they supported the message I was sharing.

This is when I really began to realize that ELEVATE was no longer just about basketball. The messages I was sharing could be applied to anyone trying to accomplish a goal. The basketball training program is still a major part of what I do, but now ELEVATE is about encouraging and inspiring anyone with a goal and a dream. Whether you’re an athlete or not, the need for discipline, hard work, self-confidence, and a positive mindset is still the same. I just want everyone to know that no matter what it is that they pursue, they can achieve it with the right mindset.