KAWARTHA LAKES-17 Year old Colby Farrell is a world away from home this Holiday season but home couldn’t be closer to his heart.
The Brock area teen is in Iwuy France on a one year cultural exchange sponsored by the Rotary Club. This “once in a lifetime” experience got him thinking about just how lucky he is. “Because of the sacrifices made by our Canadian and Allied soldiers 100 years ago, we are able to live in freedom and peace.” Farrell told Kawartha 411 on Christmas Eve. “Me being away for Christmas I thought I would start an initiative like this.”
Farrell said he was going through Facebook and saw an initiative that started in the Netherlands in 1991 at the Holten Canadian War Cemetery and has taken place every year since. Local school children light a candle at the grave of every fallen Canadian soldier as a way to say “thank you” for the sacrifices the Canadians made while liberating the Netherlands in WW2. After some research Farrell realized there was nothing like it being done in France and he wanted to change that.
With the help of his mother back in Canada, they started a Go Fund Me campaign to raise enough money to light a candle at the grave of fallen Canadian Soldiers in France. “We reached initial goal in three days and so then we expanded it.” They raised a total of $910.
349 graves were illuminated at two different cemeteries. The Niagara Cemetery containing 201 graves and the “Iwuy Communal Cemetery”  which contains another 148 graves.  “The shining candle serves to commemorate and remember those who had, numerous times, missed Christmas and missed times with their families.” Farrell said, just as he was heading out the door to start lighting the candles. “This initiative reinforces the importance of remembering our World War 1 fallen, throughout the holiday season.”
Farrell says he wants to encourage people to pause and reflect on these sacrifices, especially at Christmas. “November 11th, the day of the armistice, serves as a symbolic date to all Canadians, but there are not many of us who take the time at Christmas to think about those who created the opportunity for us to be with family and friends. It is our role, specially youth, to change this and create a future where we will never forget.”
The initiative also brought two communities together. “I helped pull my community together back home with support of the Beaverton Legion and a Canadian Go Fund Me campaign.” he says. Â And he rallied 60 people from the town of Iwuy to help light the candles.
“When I look at the amount of money we raised and the support I had, it makes me proud to be a Canadian and know how much we value our fallen heroes.”
He’s already started on plans for next year and is hoping to expand the project.
