Brooke Hilton and Connor Murray are two young Barrie residents who have already managed to #Make150Count.
Launched to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday, the RBC #Make150Count campaign gives young Canadians $150 - no strings attached - and challenges them to use the cash to make a difference.
Murray, 23, is a recent Queen’s University graduate who used his $150 to start a restaurant food rescue program called Second Helping.
His food waste charity picks up donated, surplus food from participating restaurants - food that would otherwise go to waste - and delivers it to the Salvation Army Barrie Bayside Mission Centre.
"RBC’s money specifically has gone towards paying drivers when I can't make the drop off personally, as well as supplying Second Helping with tupperware containers!" said Murray.
Bear Creek Secondary alumnus and current Queen's University student, Hilton, 19, didn't hesitate to put her $150 towards her love of animals.
She's been volunteering at Street Cats Rescue since she was 16 and has inspired her mother and sister to also give their time.
Since moving to Kingston for University, Hilton hasn't had the opportunity to volunteer with the Barrie rescue as often, but always make a point of signing up for volunteer shifts whenever she's home.
"Having such a personal relationship with the shelter and understanding on its reliance on donations as a not-for-profit organization motivated my desire to use my $150 to aid them," she said.
"Street Cats Rescue is one of the things I'm most proud of in my hometown. I was able to donate 18 bins of cat litter and several cat toys."
Young people are selected through the more than 1,200 local RBC branches in Canada and community stakeholders.
"We've already found and gotten the kits into the hands of more than 1,000 youth. RBC is also giving the $150 to youth who post a really creative or inspiring idea for how they'd Make 150 Count using hashtag #make150count," said Brian Findlay, spokesperson for RBC Make 150 Count.
The program works with youth aged 16 to 25 from across the country.
More than 2,000 young people are expected to be involved in the social movement, but the exact number will depend on how many reach out with ideas between now and July 1.
