Sullivan Elementary student skips to the top of the fundraising charts

Maeva Bhullar, a Grade 1 student at Sullivan Elementary, raised over $6,000 for Jump Rope for Heart.A Sullivan Elementary student is being celebrated for raising thousands of dollars for the Canadian Heart and Stroke foundation as part of the annual Jump Rope for Heart campaign.

Grade 1 student Maeva Bhullar managed to raise more than $6,000 during the May-long fundraising campaign, jumping Sullivan to second place on the list of top fundraisers for the foundation’s BC and Yukon region with a total of $10,617.

Maeva’s impressive fundraising figure caps off a month of tenacious canvassing that saw him contacting dozens of donors to add to his pledge sheet.

“He came home with the sheet at the beginning of May and said he wanted to get involved and he was very motivated,” said Maeva’s father, Barinder. “We didn’t know it would go this well, but he was really determined, so we asked him to make a list of friends and family that he could ask.”

After one weekend spent making calls, Barinder said Maeva managed to raise over $2,000.

“After that, he was really motivated and wanted to see if he could raise more, so he came up with a new list of names, came up with a pitch and began reaching out to others,” said Barinder. “It was important that he be the one asking as well. We guided him, but he had to do the pitch.”

From there, Maeva put together a presentation and even donned a suit and tie to pitch to a group of lawyers at his uncle’s law firm.

“Everyone said he had the pitch down pretty good,” said Barinder.

Maeva said his drive to raise the funds came down to simply wanting to help others.

“I want to help people because they sometimes get sick so we’re raising money so they can feel better,” he said. “I asked a lot of different people to donate, and I said that if I raise money, I can help them not be sick.”

The importance of the cause is something familiar in the Bhullar household as Maeva’s mother, Seema, is a nurse at Surrey Memorial Hospital and manages one of its surgical areas.

“So Maeva knows how important it is help people and keep them healthy,” explained Barinder.

Barinder said Maeva is already looking to match the same amount for next year and they’ve heard from family friends whose children also want to raise funds for causes.

“So that’s a great message, not only can the children go out and get involved with something, but they can encourage and inspire their peers to get involved,” said Barinder.

As the school’s top fundraiser, Maeva won a Slip’n Slide water toy, but after realizing he already had one, decided he wanted to donate that as well.

“Some people don’t have things and so if you give them stuff, they will feel so much better!” he said.