We had covered in Heart2Heart the inspiring stories of the last two ‘Walk For Values’ events held in Canada in 2004 and 2005. Here is news from the latest walk, which enthused so many devotees to contemplate on Swami’s Teachings and also brought this important eternal message to the community at large. It is no more an event, it has become a movement gaining increased momentum every passing year and inspiring other cities and regions to follow suit in spreading His message.

Previous Stories Of Walk For Values
Walk For Values 2004		Walk For Values 2005

Across The Nation And Beyond Values awareness is spreading like wild fire across Canada, and beyond. For the fourth consecutive year, the Sathya Sai School of Canada’s annual Walk for Values was held, this year on Sunday, May 28th, 2006. Apart from the grand event held in Toronto, 13 other Canadian cities walked the values talk, to express their support for the universal human values propounded and exemplified by Sri Sathya Sai Baba, founder of the Toronto based Sathya Sai School. Apart from the 14 Canadian cities where supporters of the Sathya Sai School sought pledges of self-transformation, Sai Schools in other countries such as Scotland replicated this unique event in their communities.
		The City of Toronto in the Ontario province of Canada

Proving that practice makes perfect, the organizers and participants of the fourth annual Walk for Values conducted this year’s event flawlessly. Once again, under clear, sunny skies, the students of the Sathya Sai School led a few thousand of their close supporters down the streets of the Malvern area in Scarborough, in the east end of the city of Toronto, seeking pledges of self-improvement, inspired by the greatest example and exponent of universal human values, Sri Sathya Sai Baba. It was a day of triumph for the hundreds of man-hours of volunteer work put in by scores of teams, when the event was executed smoothly, with finesse.

Sponsored each year by the students and parents of the Sathya Sai School of Canada, the theme for this year’s Walk for Values was “A Walk for Me, My Family and My Community”. The planning team, consisting of Sai youth from the Greater Toronto Area, hoped to make a difference in various communities by encouraging everyone to evaluate the values that guide and inspire us, while further polishing those values to become better citizens of the society and country.

The Sai School Leads The Way

As always, an upbeat Mr. T.R. Pillay, Principal of the Sathya Sai School was optimistic about the community outreach value of such an effort. According to him, “This unusual walk affords golden opportunity to take part in something unique and special where all of us come together, to instill and recognize the importance of universal human values, especially at an early age. By reflecting on these values and ensuring its daily practice, we do ourselves, our families and our communities a great service. Our school is honoured to sponsor and organize this community outreach project.”

The theme underscores the adage of humanitarians like Mahatma Gandhi: “Become the change you want in the world.” By walking together as kindred spirits, participants raised awareness of the need to practice the values of tolerance, understanding, respect, and other virtues such as strength of character and concern for others which are gradually being eroded by negative forces. This important message was conveyed in a most dramatic way by participants publicly displaying their value pledges; carrying quotations about values, ethics, morality and service; and by singing rousing value songs. MPP Bas Balkisoon brought greetings and a message from the Premier of Ontario to this community-minded group which not only talked but “Walked the Talk.”

The following week, Mr. Bas Balkisoon, Member of the Provincial Parliament made a statement at the opening of the Ontario Legislature, complimenting the school for this event.

Statement by the Hon. Balkissoon, MPP for Scarborough Rouge in the Ontario Provincial Legislature on May 30 on the occasion of the 4th Annual Walk for Values

Thank you Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, May 28, the fourth annual walk for human values organized by the Sathya Sai School of Toronto took place in the Malvern Community of my riding in Scarborough Rouge River. Minister Harinder Takar and myself joined over 3,000 participants from across the GTA to walk in the name of peace, nonviolence, truth, and love. One participant in the crowd, Miss Megan Bennett, traveled all the way from Foothill Ranch, California, with the goal of implementing a similar walk in her community in 2007. Mr. Speaker, this walk has now become a trailblazer for cities across Canada, 12 of which held their own Walk for Values on the same date. The Cities of Edmonton, Regina, and Saskatoon proclaimed May 28 as Human Values Day in their cities. Mr. Speaker, this walk was not about raising funds, or provoked by anger. Instead it was focused on character building and encouraging role models in the community. Walking together as kindred spirits, participants raised awareness of the need to practice the values of tolerance, understanding, and respect values that are gradually being eroded by negative forces. The walkers conveyed their messages of human values through songs and decorated floats. The participants' demonstrations of understanding, peace, and commitment to positive change show us all the importance of recognizing our values. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the Sathya Sai School of Toronto in their efforts in making a difference in our community, our province, and Canada through their walk for human values. Thank you. To listen to the audio of Mr. Bas Balkisoon, please click here.

Once again, Sai youth from around the Greater Toronto Area infused the event with energy and excitement by acting as Masters of Ceremonies, cheerleaders, marshals, as members of the webcam team, registration committee, media, community outreach and public awareness teams and in countless similar capacities.

The dedication and sense of responsibility demonstrated by the youth of the Sai organization bears testimony to the success of the SSE program that has prepared them to take the message of the five human values mainstream. Over the past four years, the youth have truly added dynamism and a sense of exhilaration to the Walk for Values with their cheerfulness, love and dedication to Sai ideals.

Sai School’s Community Spirit Lauded

The fourth annual Walk for Values has not gone unnoticed in the community of Malvern. From the police officers assigned to the route, to the many spectators at various intersections along the 4 kilometer walk, everyone lauded the efforts of the school in bringing joy and awareness about the values to their doorsteps. The complete absence of any monetary pledges appealed to both participants and casual observers. In his communication, Mr. S.T. Pathy, a school supporter and regular participant of the event congratulated Principal Mr. Pillay for his contribution to the community of Toronto for spearheading such a noble community campaign.

He wrote “Your introductory message to the community that values based life is the only answer for surviving and thriving in today’s world was indeed powerful. The two little students who spoke at the beginning were sweet and their message was a genuine reflection of the impact of their education at the Sai school, where positive values are infused into their daily living…both students brought smiles and energy to the gathering…The banners, the attractive floats, the values songs and the energetic music and cheerleading made the walk enjoyable.”

City Council Honours Mr. Pillay’s Community Spirit

At the concluding ceremonies of the Walk for Values, on behalf of the City of Toronto, City Councillor Mr. Raymond Cho honoured Mr. Pillay, with a special plaque in appreciation of his outstanding career as an educator with a vision and devotion to integrating academic excellence with character education.

In his address, Councillor Raymond Cho read out the plaque which read “On the eve of your retirement, it is with great pride and much gratitude that the City of Toronto confers this plaque to Mr. Pillay for your leadership, dedication, vision and commitment to promoting and integrating universal values among your students of Sathya Sai School of Toronto, Canada, their families and the community at large!”

While thousands of participants cheered, Mr. Pillay attributed the success of the Walk and all of the school’s accomplishments to its Founder Sri Sathya Sai Baba whom he described as the living example and the most articulate proponent of the universal human values on the face of the earth.

Heart2Heart is very pleased to place before you this story and hopes to bring you news of next year’s ‘Walk for Values’ too with the hope that the individual, community, national and international participation of this very special ‘moving message’ will have grown exponentially.

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- Heart2Heart Team

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