“Life is finite, so spend it doing the things you love.” 

There are so many dedicated and impactful members of the Social Diversity for Children Foundation’s community who chose to allocate their time in the service of helping others. The Person of the Month Award is a special recognition designed to honour these hardworking individuals for their significant contributions and the difference they make. For the month of December, we are proud to acknowledge a member of the SDC Youth Team who exemplifies our values and mission, Anika Zhang. As a founder of the project, Anika has played an instrumental role in the creation of the Person of the Month initiative. Dating back to August 2020, the first POM was published thanks to her efforts and passion for the project. 

Anika is currently a senior at Eric Hamber Secondary School who is eager to make the most of her last year and pursue her goals in the next chapter of her life.  Born and raised in British Columbia, she hopes to travel the world and explore the artistry of different countries and cultures. A major aspect of her life is school clubs, extracurriculars and volunteering. Anika cherishes the school library, a comforting location where she’s executed her creative ideas and projects. Anika hopes to continue to give back to others through the knowledge gained about public and health care services in her post-secondary education. 

Art and Science are Anika’s favourite subjects. One of her biggest passions is architecture and design. Her drive to innovate has grown with her over the last few years and this enthusiasm is reflected in her consistent work ethic. Gaining understanding and awareness of the world is something Anika strives for. 

In March of 2020, Anika began her journey with the Social Diversity for Children Foundation and continues to work closely with the president and founder, David, and Kate Seo, the Senior Programs Coordinator. Her fondest memories consist of selling ice cream during the Mr. Gold Gelato Fundraiser and the SDC 2021 Once Upon a Shine gala. Despite the hardships that accompany working on and organizing a gala and fundraisers, Anika believes she made meaningful contributions to her communities and created long-lasting bonds with SDC members and supporters. 

As one of the Executive Assistants to the President, Anika works on a variety of projects, including the Person of the Month award.  She loves her role as a PEA and is grateful for the unique opportunity to interact with numerous departments in both branches of the SDC Youth Team. Anika believes that everyone is unique and special in their own way, which strongly ties back to our mission statement - to empower youth with disabilities. She imagines a world where everyone is treated with respect and kindness equally. 

Made to recognize those for their monumental contributions to the community, the Person of the Month award was developed by Anika and another PEA during 2020. Each month, Anika works in coordination with the President, Youth Team and other PEAs to nominate, evaluate and choose a recipient who has done influential work in the month. Through the creation of the POM award, countless SDC members have been honoured and lifted up for their remarkable work and contributions to SDC. Anika hopes to continue this initiative and to pass it on to future Youth Teams. 

Anika describes her experience with SDC as “enriching and irreplaceable”, and considers SDC her second family. Despite joining SDC with uncertainty and anxious about working alongside new people, over the course of her time with us, Anika has treasured the talented and kind people she had had the opportunity to work with. The supportive team environment she was surrounded by gave her the tools to become a more confident, aware and driven member of her community. “The bonds and memories I created while working towards such a meaningful cause had been utterly life-changing.” 

Anika would also like to thank her fellow PEA members for making the Person of the Month initiative possible with their tireless efforts. She looks forward to 2022 and what it has to offer for SDC and the world!