When tragedy strikes, we the fortunate few want to reach out and help.  In our rush to get aid to affected areas, we forget the phrase, “There's a sucker born every minute”.  A prime example is the earthquake and tsunami that took place in Japan a few months ago.  Within hours of the disaster, researchers at the computer and internet security company Symantec reported more than 50 domains with the names “Japanese tsunami” or “Japan earthquake”.  Dummy email addresses and domains requesting money raced to cash in on the tragedy.

Sometimes, sadly, it isn't simply advantage-takers and scam artists that let donors down. As I sit and listen to Simon Atem tell his story of how an Alberta-based charity with seemingly good intentions let him down, the young man in his early twenties sounds more like a lost boy.

Meagan Sheridan scanned the fifteen children's faces in front of her. As each child aged 7 to 14 years old shared which superpower they would pick if they could have any, she listened carefully, and watched to see which kids looked unsure and which ones spoke with ease.

The children were gathered on the first day of March Break for an informal workshop at the Higher Learning Institute in Bell's Corners.

The one-day event organized by local parent Lula Adam through the Tarbiyah Learning homeschooling network, included a mix of homeschooled and public-schooled kids from across the city.