Susan Sainsbury

Grades 9–12 | Fenelon Falls Secondary School | Fenelon Falls, Ont. | 10 years in the classroom

Changing one life for the better is a huge accomplishment, but that’s really nothing for Susan Sainsbury—she makes a positive impact on the lives of hundreds of kids and families every single day. Sainsbury runs a breakfast club that fills the stomachs of 150 students at this rural-Ontario school every morning, fuelling them up for a good day of learning. Some of the funding for the milk, juice, toast and fruit is provided through official sources, but Sainsbury makes up for any shortfall from her own pocket. She also spends her own money to buy lunches for kids who can’t afford them and works all summer at a farm so that she can, in turn, donate her earnings to the Spirit of Christmas program that she runs, which provides dinner and gifts, as well as jackets and boots, for as many as 25 less-fortunate families every December. And at graduation time Sainsbury helps underprivileged students by ensuring that they will have a nice outfit to wear as they stride across the school’s stage to receive their diploma. All of this giving has served to steer many students on to a better path in life. Meghan Muirhead, who graduated from FFSS three years ago, says that Sainsbury made an indelible impact on her whole family. “We still keep in touch because of how thankful I am to have such a remarkable woman in my life to look up to,” says Muirhead, who remembers two Christmases provided by Sainsbury. “She is like a second mother to me.” Muirhead’s sister Kailla admired Sainsbury