Jasmine Bouchard, a Grade 6 student at Ecole Monseigneur Blaise Morand, was asked, along with her classmates, to write about what home means to her. Teacher Becky Page's Grade 6 class submitted 23 entries – poems or personal essays – each with a $10 donation, to the Meaning of Home contest, with proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity. The contest saw 10,000 entries nationwide, with first, second and third place entries selected in each province.
In a school celebration April 27, Bouchard presented the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity a cheque in the amount of $5000. The local Habitat for Humanity is currently in the process of building a duplex and each unit will have a framed copy of Bouchard's poem.
Bouchard’s poem, published below, received second place in the provincial contest, winning an iPod and a pizza party for her class. Mark Soloway from Habitat for Humanity Saskatoon presented Bouchard with her iPod prize from Genworth Canada.
WHAT HOME MEANS TO ME
Home is a place,
To keep me safe.
A home is a shelter,
A place where we can be together.
At home we are safe forever,
Cherishing all our memories we've made together!
At my home, I can lay my head,
On a fluffy pillow in my bed.
My home is a place that I love to stay.
My home will never lead me astray.
Like the sun, its joyful loving rays,
Make me want to never go away!
My home is filled with love and care,
Something every family has to share.
The love we have
Is far beyond compare.
So with that said,
I will never ever dread
Going back home maybe even just to go to bed.
Because I know that I will never,
Ever, ever be alone.
At my sweet, caring, loving home.
