BC Teen Inspired by Coffee Will Volunteer 350 Hours

SAANICH, BC –

Although she had no interest in drinking coffee at the time, Sakshi Turnbull noticed a number of elderly people who drank but didn’t drink.

“There were people who couldn’t drink coffee,” Sakshi remembers noticing in the community congregation.

Then, spontaneously and on her own, Sakshi, then seven years old, offered to help them.

“She went up to the staff and said, ‘Can I get you a cup of coffee or tea?’” Carol Turnbull, Sakshi’s mother, remembers with a smile. “And then she left!”

After taking the strangers’ orders, Sakshi delivered all the drinks to their seats.

“And they had a huge smile on their faces, which made me very happy,” says Sakshi. “I had the biggest smile on my face that day.”

It was so wonderful that Sakshi asked her mother if she could start helping more people.

“And her love for giving back has only grown more and more,” says Carol.

Over the past three years, Sakshi has volunteered for nearly 350 hours — from cleaning community spaces during Covid, to shoveling snow from other people’s sidewalks, to watering neighbors’ gardens.

“Whenever Sakshi sees this need, she is helping,” Carol smiles.

While Sakshi’s most recent volunteer roles have included working at thrift stores and distributing nonprofit food, the 14-year-old aspires to be a police officer.

“I think it’s amazing what police officers have to risk to protect people,” says Sakshi. “I would be happy to sacrifice my own life to save someone else’s.”

While the Grade 9 student hopes to start making a big contribution through policing, Sakshi says she will never stop doing small acts of kindness that simply inspire smiles.

“If I can help anyone,” Sakshi smiles. “I know it feels great.”