Calgary youth wins WE award for soap project

A Calgary girl is changing the world, one bar of soap at a time.

Twelve-year-old Lindsay Cummings started her charity soapmaking business, Soap for Hope, two years ago after learning how to do it at a summer camp. She sells her products in the fall and at Christmas by going door-to-door, at school and at her father’s work charity event at WestJet. The soaps range from $2 for minis to $6 for regular bars, and while she makes traditional scents such as floral, she’s experimenting with fun ones including gingerbread, cotton candy and root beer float.

Lindsay donates all of her proceeds to the WE Movement’s international development projects. The first year, her money went to a WE health project in Ecuador and this year she’s supporting a WE college in Kenya. She’s very engaged in the organization and has even travelled to see some of the aid work being done.

“I chose (WE) because the summer before, I went on a trip to Ecuador with Me to We. We’re pretty involved with it.”

Lindsay’s creative approach to fundraising attracted the attention of the international WE movement and she has been chosen as one of four winners of the Prince’s Youth Service Awards, given on behalf of the Prince of Wales. The awards, which includes a trophy designed by the Prince of Wales and a bursary, will be handed out at WE Day Toronto 2017.

“I found out last week at school when my teacher told me. I was so excited. To accept it at We Day in Toronto is a huge honour,” said Lindsay. “One of my goals is to speak at We Day and this is putting me on the path to that.”