P.E.I. students encourage Fort McMurray kids to 'stay positive'
'Life can't stay like this forever, so have hope that the future will be better'
Some Grade 7 students from Stonepark Intermediate in Charlottetown are hoping their handwritten letters to kids in Fort McMurray, Alberta, will help lift spirits.
The wildfires have displaced 80,000 people including more than 12,000 students.
They really need support from all of Canada.— Jolee MacIntyre, Grade 7 student
"All of the children were quite happy to write letters to children of their age that have lost their schools and lost their homes and really just need a little bit of positive support," said teacher Kathryn Rajamanie, who came up with the letter-writing idea after seeing the haunting images of the fire.
Her plan was to send positivity to Fort Mac, but it also turned out to be an eye-opener for her students.
"When I saw the videos online, I was truly shocked because I've never seen anything like it," said student Lucas Cloutier.
'Extremely scary'
"It was terrifying, and it would have been extremely scary for anybody going through it," Cloutier added.
The project really opened student Jolee MacIntyre's eyes to the disaster, she said.
"At first I wasn't very affected by it because I don't have anybody I know in Fort McMurray," MacIntyre said.
"But then ... I realized that there are a lot of people that may not have family down there to help them out in their time of need so they really need support from all of Canada."
'Never give up'
Stella Conway wrote what she hopes are words of encouragement.
"Even after traumatizing events, everything will turn out all right and you'll never be alone in hard times. Stay safe and stay positive."
"Never give up and stay strong. Life can't stay like this forever, so have hope that the future will be better," wrote Robyn Baglole.
Rajamanie plans to send the letters to a school in Edmonton where some of the displaced Fort McMurray students are now attending.
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