Thursday Aug 25 2011 Leader

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Battling bullying with writing

Eagles prepare for pre-season play

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Thursday August 25, 2011 Serving Surrey and North Delta www.surreyleader.com

A lesson in philanthropy Surrey nine-year-old raises more than $5,000 for school supplies for Royal Heights Elementary by Maria Spitale-Leisk A PARENTAL lesson to a daughter about the benefits of being frugal has

EVAN SEAL / THE LEADER

Guadelupe Packer has collected thousands of dollars worth of bottles and put the money towards school supplies for less-fortunate kids at her school.

resulted in $5,000 worth of school supplies being donated to a North Surrey elementary school. In 2009, then-eight-year-old Guadelupe Packer started collecting bottles for her video game fund. It turned into quite the enterprising operation for the youngster. She was raising $60 per month. That’s when Guadelupe’s parents – Cindy and Mike – sat her down to talk finances. “We said this is how we model our finances: We give a little bit to charity, and we put a little bit away for savings, and then we can go spend the rest,” recalls Cindy. Guadelupe mapped out her financial plan – 25 per cent for savings and 25 per cent for charity; the rest would be carte blanche. To fulfill the charity portion of her goals, Guadelupe canvassed her friends and family via email asking for donations of school supplies. The Guadelupe School Foundation was created the summer before the 200910 school year. See SUPPLIES / Page 3

Transit ridership soars TransLink can’t expand to keep pace without more cash by Jeff Nagel TRANSLINK IS on track for a record year of transit ridership, surpassing even the number of passengers carried in 2010, when the region hosted the Winter Olympics. But the high usage numbers are being tempered with a caution that the transportation authority is near the limit of what it can offer riders and needs a big and controversial package of upgrades if it’s to expand service and keep pace with rising demand.

The 114.4 million transit trips in the first six months of the year are four per cent more than in 2010. And if the April to June months are compared – to exclude the Olympic surge – ridership was up 13 per cent in the second quarter. Officials warn the gains are not sustainable if the public and regional politicians refuse to accept some combination of higher taxes and fees to finance expansion. LEADER FILE PHOTO

See EXTRA SERVICE / Page 4

The number of passengers taking public transit this year is surpassing the turnout during the 2010 Winter Olympics.

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