Killam’s cousin, the late Kirk MacLeod, raised money and participated in the Big Swim in the Northumberland Strait in 2013.
MacLeod swam while in remission from cancer but unfortunately succumbed to the disease earlier this year. It was with her cousin in mind Killam decided to use her own skills to pass on generosity.
“He gave back when he was really sick, he made sure he was always giving so that really inspired me to give in my own community with something I really love to do,” says Killam.
The LRHS student is a certified swim instructor and a nationally certified lifeguard. Her swim program is called “the Ripple Effect” because she hopes the children she teaches will take away a message and not just a swim lesson.
“I want it to be something bigger, something that can keep going in our community,” says Killam. “People might be inspired to create their own Ripple Effect to give back to their community.”
The program is being presented to Grade 2 classes at the Dr. John C. Wickwire Academy. She’s hoping to teach children who otherwise would not be able to go to swimming lessons, though she is taking all skill levels in the program.
Killam is looking for one Grade 2 class to take the program, which she thinks will run from January to March 2015.
“We’re going to split the up into levels based on their level in swimming,” says Killam.
Besides her latest venture Killam is quite the athlete herself. She’s been playing soccer since she was a child. She’s also been playing other competitive sports such as badminton, volleyball, and basketball since Grade 7.
Soccer is Killam’s favourite because her father introduced her at a young age. Her father, teacher Greg Killam, started as the coach for her childhood soccer team. He has followed his daughter and her friends through the soccer levels to encourage them to keep the sport in their lives.
“He made sure there was a good group of us for each sport so we could have teams when we got to high school levels,” says Killam.
Killam is also an avid volunteer and is a part of the Kiwanis Key Club and volunteers during Privateer Days. She also loves music and sings regularly.
After high school she plans on attending Dalhousie where she has already been accepted in the Arts and Social Sciences program. She plans on taking humanity courses while there.
“It’s pretty hard for an 18-year-old to know what they want to do for the rest of their lives but I feel that my interests will be in the areas of teaching or psychology or maybe even law,” says Killam.
Killam’s cousin, the late Kirk MacLeod, raised money and participated in the Big Swim in the Northumberland Strait in 2013.
MacLeod swam while in remission from cancer but unfortunately succumbed to the disease earlier this year. It was with her cousin in mind Killam decided to use her own skills to pass on generosity.
“He gave back when he was really sick, he made sure he was always giving so that really inspired me to give in my own community with something I really love to do,” says Killam.
The LRHS student is a certified swim instructor and a nationally certified lifeguard. Her swim program is called “the Ripple Effect” because she hopes the children she teaches will take away a message and not just a swim lesson.
“I want it to be something bigger, something that can keep going in our community,” says Killam. “People might be inspired to create their own Ripple Effect to give back to their community.”
The program is being presented to Grade 2 classes at the Dr. John C. Wickwire Academy. She’s hoping to teach children who otherwise would not be able to go to swimming lessons, though she is taking all skill levels in the program.
Killam is looking for one Grade 2 class to take the program, which she thinks will run from January to March 2015.
“We’re going to split the up into levels based on their level in swimming,” says Killam.
Besides her latest venture Killam is quite the athlete herself. She’s been playing soccer since she was a child. She’s also been playing other competitive sports such as badminton, volleyball, and basketball since Grade 7.
Soccer is Killam’s favourite because her father introduced her at a young age. Her father, teacher Greg Killam, started as the coach for her childhood soccer team. He has followed his daughter and her friends through the soccer levels to encourage them to keep the sport in their lives.
“He made sure there was a good group of us for each sport so we could have teams when we got to high school levels,” says Killam.
Killam is also an avid volunteer and is a part of the Kiwanis Key Club and volunteers during Privateer Days. She also loves music and sings regularly.
After high school she plans on attending Dalhousie where she has already been accepted in the Arts and Social Sciences program. She plans on taking humanity courses while there.
“It’s pretty hard for an 18-year-old to know what they want to do for the rest of their lives but I feel that my interests will be in the areas of teaching or psychology or maybe even law,” says Killam.
