With Gratitude: My 15th Birthday - A Wish Come True

Update: April 30, 2025

With Gratitude – Zion’s Fundraising Goal Reached!

Dear Friends, Family, and Supporters,

On behalf of my daughter Zion and our family, I want to extend our deepest thanks to each of you who contributed to her fundraising campaign for the upcoming educational tour to Paris, Provence, and Barcelona. Your generosity, whether through donations, sharing the link, or words of encouragement, made a lasting impact on us.

This journey has been about more than raising funds — You taught Zion an unforgettable lesson about love, support, and the importance of community. As the saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child,” - this experience has shown Zion how true that is. Many of you gave without knowing us personally. You chose to support her dream with open hearts. Your kindness turned her 15th birthday wish into a reality.

Thanks to your generous contributions, and the additional support from her school and Global Citizenship Program scholarships to cover the remaining costs, we are thrilled to share that Zion’s fundraising goal has now been fully met, and the campaign is officially closed. Zion is now officially going to embark on this incredible educational journey.

Zion is incredibly excited for this opportunity to learn, explore, and grow. She looks forward to bringing back all that she gains from this journey and sharing it with her community — with all of you who helped make it possible.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. May the generosity you have shown return to you in countless, beautiful and unexpected ways.

With gratitude,

Zion & Her Mom

Update: As of April 27th, 2025, we have raised $1,949 (through gofundme and EF Tour fundraising platform). A big thank you to all our generous donors. With your help we can reach the goal.

Please read my daughter's story.

Hi, my name is Zion. I’m in Grade 9 and enrolled in the Global Citizenship program at my school. I’m a 14-year-old girl (turning 15 very soon!), an immigrant living in Canada, and originally from Nigeria. I am usually quiet and don’t ask for much, but this time I am really hoping someone out there might be able to help me.

My birthday is on April 29th!

This year, I’m not asking for gifts or a big celebration. Instead, I’m hoping for something a little different — and really, really special. I’ve been given the opportunity to go on a school trip to France and Spain as part of the Rez Europe 2026 program. It’s a learning journey that only a few students get selected for… and I was one of them.

When I found out I had been chosen, I was shocked — and so thankful. But the truth is, the trip is expensive, and my family can’t afford all of it. That’s why I’m hoping, with my birthday coming up, kind and generous people like you might help me make this dream come true.

This experience would mean so much to me. Ever since I was little, I have been fascinated by other cultures. I loved listening to stories from around the world — especially the ones my mom told me about Paris. I have always been curious about how people live in different places, what they eat, how they speak, and what their lives are like. I have tried to learn more through reading, music, poems, and language, but going on this trip would help me learn in a whole new way — by actually being there. I would get to use the French I have been studying at school which I love so much, try different foods, meet new people, and experience things I have only ever seen in pictures or imagined in my head.

I’m usually a quiet person, and it’s not easy for me to ask for things, but this trip means so much to me. If you’re able to give anything — big or small — for my birthday, I’d be incredibly grateful. You wouldn’t just be giving me a gift; you’d be giving me a chance to grow, to learn, and to experience something I’ve only dreamed of.

When I come back, I want to share what I’ve learned — maybe in a little journal or memory book with stories and recipes from my trip. I want to inspire others like me who dream of seeing the world, too.

Thank you for reading my story. Whether you donate or just sending me a little birthday cheer, thank you for being here. Please also share this with someone who could make all the difference. You’re helping make a quiet girl’s big dream come a little closer to real.

With love, lots of hope, and an early birthday wish

Zion