The Baxter Memorial Project

Overview of our project 

We are raising money on behalf of our teacher, Mr. Rob Baxter. He passed away suddenly this past March.  Fifty percent of the money we raise will go to fund a memorial scholarship in his name, and the remaining fifty percent will go towards building a high school in Debre Berha; an Ethiopian community in need.

Our Story 

We are Walkerville “Agora”; Walkerville Collegiate Institute's (located in Windsor, Ontario, Canada) Student Council and we recently launched an ambitious project to help in the building of a high school in Ethiopia. In early 2015, we were approached by Voice for Hope, a charitable organization that previously built a grade school in the city of Debre Berhan, in northern Ethiopia. Voice for Hope invited us to participate in funding for the construction of a room in their new high school located in the same city. We were immediately on board and started to plan various fundraisers.

Tragically, over March Break, Robert Baxter, a Walkerville teacher in charge of our student council and a man who knew everyone in our school, passed away suddenly, due to a brain aneurysm. Mr. Baxter was an amazing teacher, a role-model, a mentor and a father-figure to each and every one of us on Student Council and to hundreds of students-at-large. He had come onto our team this year as a teacher sponsor and helped to change the face of Agora. If you knew Mr. Baxter he was a teacher who taught you how to believe in yourself, how to stand-up for yourself and so many more life lessons on a daily basis. He supported us immensely and always had a way of picking us up when we were down. Mr. Baxter doubled as the school's librarian, and truly got to know everyone through this. Mr. Baxter was only 37 years old when he passed away, which we all know is much too young. However, even in his short life, he made an impact on so many people's lives. Before his passing, he had planned a Carnival for our school and was so excited about the idea of bringing this to Walkerville. Of course, we are continuing this project – laying out the plans just the way he wanted and making sure it's kick butt, just for him.

Mr. Baxter had worked as the librarian at Walkerville and made the library feel like a welcoming, caring and fun environment! As a man, he influenced so many young adults, by helping them grow as people and providing support when life got overwhelming. He would routinely treat us as adults with respect for our views and opinions. Most importantly, he wasn't afraid to consider everyone's ideas and strived to make everyone feel important, because that's just the kind of person he was. He helped so many students feel welcome and not alone – when students were new to Walkerville and didn't have many friends, Mr. Baxter always, no matter what, made them feel welcome and always stood by their side. He helped so many students get through trying times that ranged from daily frustrations to serious crises. He had a calm, confident and gentle way of giving young people advice and tools for life.

Mr. Baxter was not afraid to speak his mind and would always, no matter what, say what was right. He taught us by example that the well being of people should rise above everything else. He had an exceptional way of connecting with students and he was able to bring so many students out of their shell, and would connect with them in order to make their High School experience a much better and brighter one. 

Mr. Baxter was also not afraid to express who he was and taught us to be comfortable and accepting of ourselves. By putting himself out there, he became an inspiration to us all. Whether it was on spirit week or in the last school play, he really didn't care what other people thought, he just expressed who he was, and everyone loved it. He wasn't just about the serious stuff; Mr. Baxter never lost the kid in him. He went out of his way to make everyone's day better and had this youthful and unique sense of humor. His various perfectly timed one-liners and hilarious, yet clever remarks could always make you smile!

Mr. Baxter was the true definition of the Walkerville Tartan – he was courageous, creative, intelligent, funny, he was caring, he loved Walkerville and cared about everyone who passed through and who still roams the halls of this amazing school. He was spirited, loving, supportive, and he was so much more than a teacher. Mr. Baxter was a mentor, a friend, a father-like figure, a support system, a guidance counsellor and really the list could go on forever and ever.

Shortly after his passing, Agora came together as the family we are and decided that 50% of the money raised would go to help build a high school in Debre Berhan and the remaining 50% would go to a scholarship fund in his name, at Walkerville. This way his wonderful spirit and love for teaching will continue on, not only  in the halls and rooms of Walkerville Collegiate Institute, but now in Africa and the halls of a high school in Ethiopia.

Our goal is 20,000 dollars, and although that may not seem like much, it is an amount of money we are trying to achieve no matter what. This is an amazing journey that we can't wait to take, but we need your help in order for this to happen and in order for the spirit of this amazing man to reach students all over the world.

http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/walkerville-high-school-community-mourning-death-of-popular-teacher