Peace Bus Stops at Salvation Army Thrift Store

On Wednesday, July 18, 11 teens ranging from ages 14 to 16 spent the day volunteering at the Mississauga Thrift Store. But these are no ordinary group of kids, the young volunteers are participants in the Windsor Salt C2C Peace Bus Project which involves a cross-Canada mission to educate and inspire action among Canadians for peace. The teens started their trip in Victoria, BC on June 26th and have been journeying across Canada towards Halifax, along the way learning about their country, volunteering and meeting new people.

Flavie Rodrigues, a 15-year-old participant from Mississauga, was the one who suggested The Salvation Army Mississauga Thrift Store as one of the volunteer sites.

“The Salvation Army came to mind because of their annual Christmas Kettle campaign to raise funds to help people in need during the holiday season and because the organization is active in helping people from coast to coast,” said Flavie.

The group spent the day sorting and organizing donations at the thrift store and agreed that the experience was a great way to serve the community.

The group is now continuing their trek across the country (in a carbon neutral passenger van!). They hope to reach Halifax on August 2nd.

The C2C Peace Bus Project is funded by Children’s International Summer Villages (CISV), a not-for-profit dedicated to peace education. There are over 200 chapters worldwide, including 12 Canadian chapters, which have been able to offer local, national and international youth peace education programs to thousands of families. Last year alone, 10,000 youth from around the world participated in over 200 programs that centered on peace education.