Sara Manitoski Celebration of Life

On March 14, 2017 Sara left for Hornby Island on an overnight school trip.  When she went to sleep that night she was happy, laughing and had a great day with her class.  The next morning in her cabin as the other girls were waking up and getting ready for the day, Sara was found unresponsive.  She had passed away sometime during the night.  She was 16 years old.

Sara was in the GP Vanier Explore Program, which is a unique outdoor education program separate from the regular curriculum. The students work very closely together and develop strong friendships, through activities and trips such as the Hornby Island camp. Sara's loss has very deeply impacted her classmates and their families. We've started this campaign to help Sara's mother and younger sister deal with any financial and practical issues now, and hopefully give them some time and freedom to grieve.

The students have shared some of their memories of Sara.

“Sara absolutely loved to travel.  She spent her grade 10 year in Spain”

“Sara loved swimming and the ocean, along with Dominoes pizza and Netflix”

“Sitting beside her in English I learned she loved the ocean and always felt very connected to it.  She once told me her favourite memories were by the beach with her friends and family.”

“Sara had a huge heart and loved everyone, and was loved just the same.  She loved traveling and had planned on going to Japan to visit Nozomi and travel Thailand after high school.”

“When she walked into a room, everyone noticed and cherished her”

“Sara loved to laugh and was always sarcastic and fun”

“Sara had such a fun personality, always upbeat and a huge smile on her face.  Her laugh was contagious.  She loved beaches and all her friends so much.”

“Sara; a beautiful girl with a beautiful smile that lit up every room.  Never got the chance to thank her enough for providing me with lots of laughs & happy days.  Heaven gained a blessed angel.”

  “She had this amazing smile.  You saw her and you would feel way better.  Everybody was able to be her friend.”

“I’ll never forget the time when Sara was playing field hockey for the first time and when she picked up a stick, she swung so hard, she broke the stick in half!”

“Sara was a very passionate person.  If she liked something she loved it.  If she didn’t like something she hated it.  But in the best way.  She loved life and thought so many things were so funny.  She was never afraid to try new things, she played field hockey for the first time this year and she was amazing.  I miss her so much.  She was so easy to connect with.”

“She was a huge part of Explore family and Rugby team and will be forever missed. “

Please help in any way you can.  Thank you so much for your support.

The money raised will go towards funeral/Celebration of Life expenses as well as living expenses for Sara’s mother and sister.