SASKATOON – Raoul Wallenberg may not have been alive during our lifetime, but his legacy provides a timeless message to youth about ‘The Power of One’.
“Sometime people feel that if they can’t save a life or if they can’t do something massively heroic, a good deed is wasted,” says Think Good Do Good co-founder Heather Fenyes.
“The message of Raoul Wallenberg is one small thing, one at a time, changes the world.”
Wallenberg saved the lives of tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews from the Holocaust during the Second World War by giving out Schutz-passes, which were forged Swedish citizenship documents.
For Fenyes’ mother-in-law, those passes saved her life; leaving a tangible legacy here in Saskatoon, “that small gesture is a part of why she’s alive and why I married her son and why I have three fabulous children.”
READ MORE: Remembering Raoul Wallenberg, hailed a hero for saving thousands
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International Raoul Wallenberg day is Jan. 17, the date he disappeared at age 33 into Soviet control. However, students from around Saskatoon celebrated his achievements Friday at Centennial Collegiate. For many Wallenberg’s desire to help translates into a modern day anti-bullying message.
“Don’t be a bystander, even just that one little thing. If you see someone that’s just having a bad day, always looking down; just say hello, give them a simple little smile because that one thing can make someone’s day even more,” said Grade 11 Centennial Collegiate student Natasha Kitchen.
Elisha Muembo, a 2014 St. Joseph’s graduate, is a refugee from Kenya and the Congo. He shared his personal story of how small acts of kindness can change and save lives.
“My mom had a maid named Marie and she was Tutsi and it was the Tutsi rebels that came into Congo, came with the war to Congo. When the rebels came to our house to kill us she lied to the rebels that she was Burundi and we escaped from Congo.”
Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission chief, David Arnot, says Wallenberg’s message needs to be heard by all youth today.
“It’s very important because it’s all about respect and fundamentally it’s about respect for every citizen because every human being deserves equal moral consideration. Those student’s really reinforced that very well.”
Proof that Wallenberg’s legacy lives on.
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