You expect a lot of things from adolescent boys. But figuring out how to help the world over a cup of tea isn’t one of them.
Welcome to Man Tea – a group of ten grade 7 and 8 boys who meet for tea and talk about raising money for charity.
“Man Tea is a group that helps the community. And we have tea while we discuss what we’re going to do,” says Hudson Bridger – a grade 8 student and a member of Man Tea.
Man Tea began as an informal get-together to help a few students facing a variety of challenges at Sawmill Creek Elementary School in Ottawa. One of the students suggested they try tea and the idea caught on. “Tea calms you down. It relaxes you. And for some of us it helps us think better,” says Man Tea member Tab Batts-Regimbald.
And that’s important. Because, soon after the group was formed, a fund-raising request crossed the desk of Educational Assistant and group organizer Marsha Adema. “It wasn’t even planned but I asked them if they’d be interested in helping me out,” says Adema. And Man Tea was born.
In less than two years, the small group has run several successful fundraisers. Man Tea has raised around $ 4-thousand for several causes, from a local food bank to providing fresh water in Africa.
And amidst all that giving, all that planning, and all that tea, the best part of Man Tea - a group of young friends who have discovered they can make a difference. “I would describe it as a good bunch of guys just, you know, hanging out and helping the world.”
It sounds so simple over a cup of tea.
