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nder new administration leadership at Henry G. Izatt Middle School innovative clubs and community programs have started to take shape. Among these new clubs is Youth in Philanthropy (YIP), which started with a simple idea for a clothing drive. During the month of November, the Youth and Philanthropy (YIP) club were impacted by the devastatingly cold weather and the thoughts of those without proper clothing. Thus, came their Knickers, Kicker and Koats campaign to collect items to help those in need combat the cold. The winter items were collected for Koats for Kids, and socks and underwear for Siloam Mission. The self-proclaimed Yippies set a goal of collecting 650 clothing items, or roughly one item per student at HGI. Over the weeklong campaign the school community rallied for their fellow Winnipeggers and clothing donations flooded in by the hundreds! In the end the HGI YIP club collected over 1200 items of clothing to donate to Koats for Kids and Siloam Mission.
Energized by their accomplishment and positive impact on the community they set their eyes on their next project for December. The Harvest Manitoba Food Drive! Offering their school community, a movie day with snacks the Yippies set out an ambitious goal of collecting enough food to provide 2000 meals for families in need. The week and a half long campaign included bonus points for Harvest Manitoba’s high priority items and a genuine spirit of generosity through competition. In the end, once again YIP surpassed their goal by collecting 3, 312 lbs of food which provided approximately 2888 meals for families in need. 
Having clothed and fed Winnipeggers in need YIP turned their hearts to Winnipeg’s four legged community. In partnering with the HGI Grade 9 Farewell Community, YIP set a goal to raise $300 through their Valentine Candy Grams. Everyday students were introduced to a new Winnipeg Animal Services adoptable to help showcase animals in need and the animals the fundraiser was directly supporting. WAS even sent over a ‘Hello!’ video featuring the showcased animals happily waiting for their furever family! Once again YIP surpassed their fundraising goal (total amount to come Friday!). Henry G. Izatt’s YIP club has many more community based initiatives to come in support of their school and Winnipeg community!
