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Adonie and Lydia Sacallis are two kids who are always smiling. The brother and sister will be taking their smiles to 12 different countries in 12 months to raise $1 million for charity.
The Kelowna children have always wanted to win the lottery and when they didn’t, they were sad. Their mom let them know they didn’t have to win the lottery to help the world. After she told them that, they started to plan a global trip to help endangered animals and orphaned children. They are working on bringing back the smiles to people's faces.
Lydia, 8, said she’s excited to visit the Dominican Republic. The Sacallis family will be in the Dominican Republic when Lydia turns nine years old on Oct. 5.
Adonia, 11-years-old, is excited to visit Australia. He said he hopes to help people realize that there's more to giving than just giving money.
"We want to teach kids that they can just give and they can make a difference in the world —not just by giving money. They can make friendships with energy, time, handshakes, hugs and high-fives."
The family’s mission is just “to give today by collecting from those who have, to give to those in need — teaching children that giving can make a difference."
Lydia and Adonie met with Mayor Colin Basran on Tuesday afternoon. Basran posed for pictures with the siblings (he gave them some pointers on taking selfies), gave them Kelowna pins and wished them good luck on their trip.
"We sometimes are quick to criticize kids for being on computers and plugged into social media all the time, but it's not all bad,” Basran explained.
“Here is a great case where we have kids who are plugged in to what's happening around the world and they've recognized issues that they aren't happy to see and they want to make a difference."
The children have a website that they will be updating throughout the trip, as well as Facebook, Youtube and Instagram. Individuals and businesses can donate any amount of money and all money donated will go towards 34 different charities they are helping.
Because the Sacallis​ children are leaving Kelowna on Saturday, they won’t be in a classroom this year. They will, however, be doing virtual school work and homeschooling. Adonie said they will be learning every day and the knowledge will be shared with people all around the world.
"The knowledge my sister and I are learning will be going to people off our Facebook page and Youtube. It's really cool to find out what's going on in other countries and be able share it with others."
Basran said the two children can teach the residents of Kelowna a great deal.
"It's not just up to the government to make people’s lives better. We all play a role, we all should be taking responsibility for our fellow residents and mankind. The lesson here is everyone, no matter the age, no matter the contribution, can make a positive impact on the community and on the world."
Lydia and Adonie will first visit parts of Canada before making their way to Dominican Republic. They will then travel to Mexico, Costa Rica, Australia, Tasmania, Thailand, Peru, Galapagos, Greece and the United States.
To follow Lydia and Adonie, you can visit their social media platforms. People can also donate to Just Give, here.
And, Lydia wants everyone to remember a few things.
"People should not litter. Don't pollute the world. People can do a lot of fun stuff for the world and there will be no crime and fighting. We just hope that the world can actually be a better place."
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