Ryan Hreljac

Hi my name is Jamille, I live in Bradford, Ontario. My hero is Ryan Hreljac. When Ryan was in grade one he heard from his teacher (Mrs. Prest) that children in Africa and other poor countries were dying without clean water. After Ryan heard the bad news, he started raising money with the two ($2)dollars he got for allowance every week.

Ryan Hreljac was born on May 31, 1991 in Kempville, Ontario. He lived like an average boy and went to school in his birthplace. (Kempville, Ontario) Ryan wasn't an only child. In fact, he had three brothers, Keegan, Jordan, and his adopted brother Jimmy Akana. His parents were mom Susan and dad Mark. Some people think of Ryan as a serious heart-warming boy but surprisingly he enjoys fishing and playing video games.

Ryan Hreljac was influenced and inspired by his grade one teacher Mrs. Prest when she said that people were dying without clean water. She also encouraged and helped Ryan raise money, including the kids in his class. Unfortunately things weren't always so smooth along the way, like when Ryan was short on money, but still he didn't give up. In a couple of months Ryan raised $2,000 dollars to build one well. Ryan Hreljac was also strongly influenced by Dr. Jane Goodall, Jean Michel Cousteau, and Raffi. Ryan partly raised the money by doing chores, like washing windows, and mowing lawns. Finally it all paid off.

Ryan achieved a lot of things including building 502 wells filled with clean water in Africa, providing for 621,712 people. Ryan also won many awards. He thought of others he didn't even know and started fundraising at such a young age.

My hero shows great character traits like showing everyone to have to compassion, empathy and faith. I think he has compassion when he thinks of helping others and succeeds, which he shows also for empathy. He showed faith because even when he didn't have enough money he didn't give up.

My hero influences me by showing me how to think of others who don't have as much as we do and that we can succeed in anything we try, if we work hard for it

Ryan is a huge inspiration to me because he thought of others which made him what he is today. He taught me to help others and that if I try hard I can do anything.