April 23, 2014 (Toronto, ON) – While most of us set New Year’s goals, to lose a couple of pounds or cut back on sugar, a group of Olympic cross country skiers, from Canmore Alberta, set their sights a little higher this year. Perianne Jones, Emily Nishikawa and Mark Arendz competed for Canada this  winter in the Sochi Olympics. Through setting personal bests and even winning a silver medal, this  group of cross country skiers made Canada proud. The Olympic Games was just the beginning of their journey to inspire this year. These Olympians traded snow for sun and travelled to Nicaragua, the  second poorest country in the Western hemisphere, to help build a new school for an impoverished rural community with SchoolBOX, a national charity whose mission is to ‘Make Education Possible’ for children.

School and team photo with the kids in Nicaraugua. © Skiers 4 SchoolBOX

One year ago, Perianne Jones, the brainchild behind the idea of ‘Skiers 4 SchoolBOX’ called  SchoolBOX’s director, Sarah Kerr, a former high school classmate, to explain how she wanted to help  build a school in Nicaragua. Both Jones and Kerr are from Almonte, a small town in eastern Ontario  where SchoolBOX was founded. “I knew that this was something I wanted to do since hearing about  SchoolBOX. I really couldn’t have imagined the impact that SchoolBOX has had on so many families. The community where we are working, Jardines de Apoyo, is extremely grateful for the opportunity to have a real school for their kids. They have been studying under tarps and makeshift huts for over 14  years,” said Jones from the worksite in Nicaragua this week.

Working alongside parents, community members and even eager future students, in the impoverished  community of ‘Jardines de Apoyo’, just south of the capital city Managua, the Olympians dug  foundations, carried blocks and helped mix cement, all in an effort to provide a real school for the  hundreds of children in that community this year. “It has been a great week here with the kids,” says Mark Arendz, silver medal winner, “It was just incredible to see the effect and the inspiration that we  could give them, just by showing up. It was really good to see everyone – the community, workers and  kids- putting in their effort to build something for the future.”

Paralympic medalist Mark Arendz witha student. © Skiers 4 SchoolBOX’

Perianne, Emily and Mark, along with Cross Country Canada, are members of True Sport, an  organization promoting fair sport and teaching athletes that by giving back they can in fact become  better athletes. When asked why they decided to use their short off season to ‘give back’, Emily  Nishikawa explained that “being able to give back is huge. Sometimes I feel like skiing can be quite a  selfish sport, we have to spend a lot of time just focusing on ourselvesŠso when I get an opportunity to give back, I take it. It feels good and it feels like I’m contributing to something important. It was  really cool to see that spirit of coming together for something that is really needed. I would definitely  encourage other people to take an opportunity like this to give back.” Emily and her teammates have inspired athletes young and old across Canada this winter. She is now having a global impact  empowering kids to go to school in Nicaragua.

“I am pretty happy with everything we accomplished this week,” reflects Jones, “Hopefully it will  inspire a few more kids to go to school after the whole project is done and we are gone.”

Peri-and-student

SchoolBOX’s team in Nicaragua was raving about how helpful it was to have their team down this  April. “Having Perianne, Mark and Emily get behind SchoolBOX has been such a gift,” adds Kerr, “It shows that when we work together to ‘Make Education Possible’, we really can defeat poverty. It is extraordinary that these elite athletes are using their Olympic journey to give a voice to some of the world’s poorest children. We are so proud of these amazing skiers.”

To learn more and to contribute to their campaign ‘Skiers 4 SchoolBOX’ visit www.schoolbox.ca/ski.

SchoolBOX is a registered Canadian Charity (# 83870 1324 RR0001) with the mission of ‘Making  Education Possible’ for all children in Nicaragua and the world. Our community is comprised of thousands of individuals from different faiths and socioeconomic backgrounds. We are united in a love for the children we serve and the belief that education can defeat poverty. Our vision is to see all  children in school and finishing their primary education. To date, we have built more than fifty  classrooms, dozens of washrooms and libraries. We support over 15,000 children in Nicaragua’s  poorest communities with school supplies annually. We have given out over 250,000 notebooks and half a million pencils to children, allowing them to access basic education. To learn more visit  www.schoolbox.ca.

For more information on SchoolBOX contact Sarah Kerr, Executive Director at 647-882-7484.

For more information or to donate to ‘Skiers 4 SchoolBOX’ visit www.schoolbox.ca/ski.