“Count Me In” Inspires Toronto’s Youth

Everyone has had that time in high school where they feel like they aren’t transitioning well. Shane Feldman was one of them. Inspired to make a change and get involved in his community, Count Me In was born. Feldman shows that it is easy for anyone to get engaged in what they believe in. Having speakers across Canada and the world, Count Me In is the largest youth run event around the planet that Feldman created. Speakers shared their experiences with the audience on how their story inspired them to do something and give back to the community. The movement’s message is to help youth to connect with local charities and volunteer in whatever they can, making them passionate about while making a difference.

This year, the event was hosted by Alli Simpson, Ashley Leggat, Jessica Tyler and Luke Bilyk (who we’ve had a chance to interview in the past). We asked Alli Simpson how she felt about being a part of this event, “I am all for this stuff, I used to do speeches when I was younger around school, so I heard about being a part of Count Me In and I was like ‘Yeah, I’m all for it!’ so I’m very excited to be here. Moving from Australia to America is a big adjustment for us so the fact that it gave us the opportunity to do things like this makes it all worth it.” She also mentioned some new music she is coming out with and a new music video she is releasing later this week, “I’ve released two singles and my new one at the moment is titled ‘Guilty‘, which I am filming in LA. I’m excited to get back to that type of work.”

We had a chance to also run into one of the performers, Nikki Yanofksy, who you may know from the Vancouver 2010 Olympics with her signature song, “I Believe“. Nikki has always been involved with charities and helped raise over 10 million dollars, “That’s something I like to brag about because I’m so happy I’ve been able to help. Being here with the energy and excitement is very empowering,” She also speaks up about experiences that inspired her to get involved, “My grandmother actually passed away from cancer and I think about her almost every day, and to do things like this and raise awareness, we can go a long way and find solutions to these problems.” Out with a new single titled “Something New“, Yanofsky is excited to release her new album next week! If you guys want to check her out, she will be performing at Canadian Music Week with Quincy Jones introducing her to the crowd.

If you guys want to get involved, follow the link here to find out ways you can give back to your community.