MORAL OBLIGATION
Youth founds non-profit to fund research, raise awareness of dementia,
The world needs a lot more Zameer Bharwani.
Only 17 and going into Grade 12 at Toronto’s Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute, the teenager has spent the last two years elevating community awareness of neurological disease and at the same time raising $10,000 in research money.
He’s the founder of the Initiative for Neuroscience and Dementia — established in late 2011 — and says the non-profit organization is now in seven Ontario schools, with 300 members, and has completed more than 15 awareness campaigns.
“We’re growing,” says Bharwani proudly, wearing a tie and dress shirt for his interview. “Our goal is to keep expanding through the province and beyond. But we need a bit of recognition to do that.”
In the past the group has worked with hundreds of patients and is currently partnered with Baycrest Health Sciences, the recipient of the organization’s fundraising.
Baycrest serves clients living with various issues such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and stroke.
The awareness schemes — informing the community that some of the maladies can start as early as 30 and go undetected for years — have taken many forms including poster campaigns, YouTube videos and Facebook postings.
Each participating institute — which includes University of Toronto Schools, Don Mills Collegiate and Earl Haig Secondary School, amongst others — is expected to raise at least $500 a year (often through the proceeds of intramural sport tournaments) and to hold community awareness programs every other month.
And although not all the members volunteer at health centres — with more of a focus on awareness and fundraising — many, including Bharwani, have pitched in at Baycrest.
“Zameer has been wonderful . . . we look at him and say: if this is the future, we’re in good hands,’’ says Janis Sternhill, co-ordinator of volunteers at Baycrest. “He’s dedicated, knowledgeable and really helps us. We need a lot more people just like him.”
Sternhill says Bharwani’s contingent of helpers — along with the centre’s regular volunteers — may be involved in meal assistance, escorting clients to medical appointments, playing board games or simply sharing stories.
The Initiative for Neuroscience and Dementia — established in late 2011 — is now in seven Ontario schools, with 300 members, and has completed more than 15 awareness campaigns
“He not only helps with the people here at Baycrest, he’s helping the students who he directs here as volunteers,” says Sternhill. “He’s opening doors for them, he’s challenging them, he’s giving them direction.”
Unlike individuals who may have been inspired by personal history (perhaps a family member living with a challenge), Bharwani’s reason for starting the organization is a lot simpler: “I learned that a lot of people needed help,” he says.
He explained that the seed was planted by retired University of Toronto neuroscientist Dr. Dugald Matheson, who was a mentor at his middle school.
It was through the professor he learned about the nervous system and their diseases.
On entering high school the seed blossomed and — because of his knowledge and interest — Bharwani believed he had a “moral obligation” to help where he could. The teenager, born in India and arriving in Canada with his family several years ago, says a textbook is a good place to start learning but that real experience — and the understanding and empathy that comes with it — makes for the complete student. He knew it was important to meet the men and women he wanted to help. “I would see the families visiting (hospitals) and the challenges they faced taking care of their fathers and mothers,” he says. “One important thing I learned was that neurological diseases just didn’t affect the elderly . . . it’s young people, too.” Bharwani hopes to attend the University of Toronto to study engineering science when he graduates next year and hopes one day to apply what he learns to enhancing the community. “I’m looking forward to the future,” he says. “I don’t know exactly where it will bring me but — I know for sure — I want to be helping others.”