Cheyenne Hardy was feeling lost this year with the numerous tragedies facing Nova Scotians and the COVID-19 pandemic.
To cope and help those community members, the Dartmouth, N.S. teen organized a comfort blanket-making event after obtaining a TakingItGlobal #RisingYouth grant. Participants made 10 Nova Scotian tartan blankets for families who have faced loss.
“The families that I have already visited with still had tears in their eyes but also smiles of gratitude on their faces for the community, and it filled my heart with so much love,” said the 19-year-old.
To accommodate COVID-19 restrictions required for the grant, Hardy personally delivered the supplies in kits to participants and provided guidance over virtual meetings, where they discussed the events going on.
Project Comfort originally started four years ago with CeaseFire Halifax, where community members of all ages and abilities met and make blankets for those who had lost loved ones to violence.
“At that point, there were so many deaths in our streets, and as a teenager, I didn't know what to do,” said Hardy. “I just thought back to when mom and I used to make blankets for people in hospitals just to bring them a little comfort. So, I wanted to do that for the people that had lost loved ones due to violence on our streets.”
Since then, Hardy has grown the project by obtaining funding from various sources and making the blankets for places such as Adsum House, homeless shelters, and for those who have lost their home to fires. To date, about 80 blankets have been made, with a volunteer base ranging from age seven to 60.
The teenager has long been passionate about her community of Dartmouth North. In 2016, she created a video showcasing the area’s attractions and livelihood as part of her quest to reduce the stigma associated with living there.
“I just got tired of hearing like, ‘Oh, I feel bad for you, you live in Dartmouth North,’” she said. “Oh my goodness, people think nothing good comes out of here. But I'm really passionate about it … I wanted people to see what it looked like through my eyes.”
Hardy is a busy student passionate about many organizations and campaigns — the IWK, local food banks and homeless shelters, Special Olympics Nova Scotia, Better Together, Make-A-Wish, Challenge Aids and Malaria (Prevention and Treatment) In Africa (CHAMA), just to name a few. In 2017, she received $2,500 from the Prince of Wales Youth Leadership Award. With that, she went to Kenya to teach English and used the funds to purchase children’s uniforms, fees and school supplies, as well as supplies to make comfort blankets with them.
When Hardy was younger, her mother encouraged her start volunteering and to join youth organizations like Cadets and Girl Guides after a difficult bullying experience in elementary school left her shy and withdrawn.
“At that point, she wanted to teach me that they were still good people in the world,” said Hardy. “Because at that point of my life, I didn't think there were.”
Now, she wants to continue helping children. Hardy is in her second year of child and youth studies at Mount Saint Vincent University and intends to obtain a certificate in non-profit leadership, potentially teaching abroad.
Her volunteerism and the people she has met were a huge influence on this path.
“The people that I've been volunteering with, they truly changed my life,” she said. “You see people that are just wanting to help others with such good hearts. And that is the epitome of what my mom wanted to teach me.”
Anyone can be a volunteer, and Hardy wants people to move beyond the misconception that people must commit a great deal of work to be one.
“It’s as easy as going out and cleaning up a park or helping an elderly person take their groceries to their car,” said Hardy. “It all counts, and you're still getting involved and helping the community. It's just a matter of getting up and doing it.”
