Meet 'Princess Vaeda,' P.E.I.'s 2020 Easter Seals ambassador
'Be different and follow your heart' is her motto
Easter Seals launched its 2020 campaign Monday with a lunch to introduce Vaeda Matheson, this year's ambassador for P.E.I.
Vaeda is eight years old and has cerebral palsy. She said she is happy to have been chosen as the Easter Seals ambassador.
"My motto is be different and follow your heart," she said. "You don't have to be worried if you're different than other people."
Easter Seals campaign chair Edna Reid says the process of selecting an ambassador is tough on account of how many wonderful young people are on the Island.
"But Vaeda is amazing. When I met her she was wearing pearls. I think the best name for Vaeda is Princess Vaeda," Reid said.
Easter Seals has an important role in Island communities, Reid said, and while there isn't a specific monetary goal, the organization hopes to raise as much money as it can to help meet the needs of children with disabilities.
"Many of these organizations count on us, they don't have the staffing to actually go out and raise money so as a group of volunteers — we do," Reid said.
Along with her role as ambassador, Vaeda will embark on a speaking tour in schools across P.E.I. She said she is excited to visit the different schools.
"Vaeda is a great example to students with and without disabilities of what you can do when you really put your mind to it," Reid said.
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With files from Louise Martin