Burlington’s Brown family is a tight-knight group. Father Gary spends his weekends helping his three daughters hone their soccer skills. His wife teaches Irish dancing, and the family travels throughout Canada to support the girls as they compete.
So when Project Porchlight Regional Coordinator Peter Sykanda contacted Gary about volunteering, it’s no surprise that Gary’s eldest daughter Darragh wanted to join in.
“I mentioned that I was going to volunteer for (Project Porchlight),” says Gary. “I asked if she would be interested and she said, ‘Yeah, absolutely!’”
Gary says that the 13-year-old junior high school student shares his passion for preserving the environment. That mindset is something he tries to instill in all of his daughters.
“Each of us contributing a small amount can have a much greater impact,” he says. “I thought (Project Porchlight) was a great way of contributing in a very small way but in a way that would reach many people.”
The father-daughter team delivered nearly 300 compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) throughout Burlington. Now, when Gary drives his daughters to soccer practices and dance rehearsals, he takes pride in seeing how many of his neighbours have replaced their incandescent bulbs with CFLs. And in knowing that he and his daughter helped make that change happen together.
