Sask. boy mows lawns to help dad who lost home in wildfire
Hunter Larsen is 10 years old and when his school year ended a few weeks early because of encroaching wildfires near his home in Creighton, in northeastern Saskatchewan, he had extra time on his hands.
On June 2 he learned that his dad's house in Denare Beach, where he lives part time, was destroyed by fire.
He wanted to do something, so he came up with a plan to use his lawnmowing skills and try to raise some money to help his dad, who is currently living out of a van with their dog Shadow.
The plan at the start was to charge $10 per lawn, but because of the outpouring of support he changed the fee.
Now, he's taking donations for the lawn mowing. Hunter has even earned $100 from some customers for his effort, and some are just sending money as an outright donation.
Those who Hunter visits offer him something to drink since he's working hard and it's really hot there now, sometimes reaching 30 C. He's also received lots of compliments for his work.
'They're proud of me for doing this and they thank me for doing this,' Larsen told CTV News via Zoom from Creighton.
For Hunter's mom, Amanda MacQuarrie, this good deed is not surprising. She says being 'selfless' is not out of character for him.
'Hunter is just such an amazing kid. His entire life he's just been so helpful. If you ask any of his teachers, he's just, like, the sweetest, kindest boy. He just wants to help everybody. Animals, everything. So, I've been really lucky,' MacQuarrie said.
Sask. boy wildfire relief
Hunter Larsen with Shadow the dog. (Courtesy: Amanda MacQuarrie)
Hunter will be going into Grade 5 in the fall and has some advice for anyone else who thinks they might want to help out with other fundraisers.
'I would say probably just follow your heart and have fun. Do what you want,' he said.
So far hunter has raised $1,500.00 and mowed 30 lawns.
One customer even suggested he could get them a deal on a ride-on mower so the lawn mowing can be even more efficient this summer.
His plan is to keep going until school starts and raise as much money as he can. His mom has even started up a GoFundMe page to help his cause.
Creighton is located just over 600 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
40 minutes ago
- CTV News
Emancipation Day marked in Manitoba
Winnipeg Watch The anniversary of the British Empire abolishing slavery was celebrated by several Manitoba groups.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Noisy air conditioning spoiling summer in the Glebe
Some residents who live near a Glebe apartment building say the noise of the rooftop air conditioner is ruining their summer. CTV's Natalie van Rooy reports.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Glebe residents say noise from neighbouring apartment building AC unit spoiling summer
Some residents who live near a Glebe apartment building say the noise of the rooftop air conditioner is ruining their summer. CTV's Natalie van Rooy reports. Some residents who live near a Glebe apartment building say the noise of the rooftop air conditioner is ruining their summer. CTV's Natalie van Rooy reports. Residents who live around the Clemow apartment building near the corner of Carling and Bronson avenues say the persistent noise coming from the rooftop air conditioning unit is ruining their summer. The residents tell CTV News that the noise started in the spring, when the air conditioning units started running and it gets louder on hotter days. The continuous noise has some neighbours recording audio levels. 'It's a constant and it's 24/7,' said Marc LeBlanc, who lives a few houses down from the building. LeBlanc says the sound can be heard in backyards down the street. 'We're used to having noise from events. We've had fireworks, we have Bluesfest, that's not an issue for us,' he said. 'There's something about living downtown, but a constant 24/7 at all times of the day, that's where the irritation becomes a bit of a higher level and it's hard for everyone with families and kids.' Ottawa Bylaw Services says it has received 59 complaints about the sound coming from the unit since May but says the noise does not exceed the allowable level. Still, residents want something to change. 'It's very loud,' said Melissa Jones, who lives nearby. 'It's changed the atmosphere in the neighborhood and on the street, whether it's being able to use the sports field or hanging out in each other's backyards. It interferes with the enjoyment, and it sounds like a helicopter taking off.' The spokesperson for the owner of the Clemow says its systems are operating within the city's noise guidelines, but says 'As a good neighbour, we're proactively exploring additional noise abatement measures to further reduce any impact on the surrounding community.' 'It's a quick fix. It's noise canceling that they could put on the air conditioning units,' said LeBlanc. 'Most of the buildings have that, if not all the downtown buildings, because otherwise every neighborhood would have a constant AC noise problem.' Capital Ward Coun. Shawn Menard said in a statement, 'We've been working non-stop to ensure that bylaw completes more noise readings in the area and that the noise engineer hired by the building owners offers practical solutions to reduce this noise, which affects the quality of life for residents.'
