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She has been since she started secondary school at Waterloo collegiate a few years ago, and bhe kept that attitude when she moved to Sir John A. Macdonald high school in 2004. She's been a part of the school's Confederation tstu- dent council) since Grade io, helping to organize many charity events, includ- ing the Give a little Bit cam- paign, which encouraged students to donate new toys for needy children last Christmas, and the annual Terry Fox Run. But this summer, the Grade l2 student will be talk ing her philanthropic nature beyond the school yard, "t like the feeling of help- ing others who can't help themselves." Burns said. "This will be the ultimate summer vacation. What could be better than this?" Burns is a doer. She will spend her vata- lion time in Zambia, Africa, where she will be working with poor children and fam- ilies, many of whom are liv» ing with HIV and AlDS. Others who know Burns weren't surprised by her decision, "lt's right in line with the kind of kid she is. I'm very Sir John A. Mtttttltyatidtll student will spend her summer helping Allis victims in Atriea Only part of Wilmot Line likely to be paved, city confirms 90Wmetre portion of Aline Wilma! Line will ikrly need to he paved to handle tramc gem cratN by three ncw subdivi- smn‘ on the west side of Waterloo, But that doesn't neces- sarily mean the rest of the Wilmot Line will be paved, said Cam Rapp. the manag- er of the City of Waterloo's By Arman Bum fyr_ror1icl1ftadC BY 80- VW - grilmrle Mal] hile most high- school students are dreamers. Jayme proud of her." said Peter Kalbfleisch, S-lam's student activities director. And she's talked to others around her age who've worked with the program and speak very highly of their own experiences "layme's the kind of per- son who will be giving like this for the rest of her life. Burns first step, however. was to look for a program that both she and her par- ents were comfortable with. Even though she is excit- ed about the opportunity, she's in no way naive to the risks a trip like this may bring. "Most of their (program) volunteers come from Europe; I'll be only the sec- ond Canadian who's been with them," Burns said. "She's a model for other students." "My parents were very nervous when I told them t wanted to do this," said the 18-year-old. But the program she's selected. African Impact. which is based in Zimbatr we, fit her family's criteria in terms of safety. The nice part. Burns said, was that she got to choose her volunteer work based on her own interests. Given her love for work- ing with children. Burns said that was an easy choice. She will ipend each morning of her Ctrst month working in a health-care development services. That muld be a decision Mlmot council would have to make, and could require a second environmental assessment in addition to the one that the city is currently conchur ing. "That will be up to Wilmot," said Rapp. "It'll probably have more to do with upgrading the road" maintenance __ it will be up to them at that point," Plus, Rapp said Waterloo CITY NEWS ll Sir John A, Macdonald high-school student Jayme Bums goes through some of the nems she plans to give to needy children when she volunteers in Africa this summer. So far people have donated colouring books, (rayons and dental packages. clinic, where she will help Each afternoon, she will take care of the youngest join 30 female volunteers patients. who travel to different council has directed staff to consider every option to keep the rest of the Mlmot line from being an alternate route to the traffic that would be generated by the 1.600 to 1.800 new housing units proposed byVIsta Hills and its two neighbouring subdivisions. if that means restricting access to roads like Wide, man Road and Conservation Drive, the city could consid- er the move to ease fears of ClllU)Nl local environment4ists con- cerned that Willie! Line would become a secondary route to ttamc coming from the new subdivision via Columbia Street, Etbsvillo Road and Elm Street. Rapp saidWideman Road and Conservation Drive are city-controlled roads. and most of the traffic using it now isn't necessarily local "amt so the impact could be negligible for city re,si, dents. homes and help owners - who are sick with AIDS -- with farming and house "They've left it open ended," said Rapp about council's direction concom- ing access to Wilmot Line. "They'll look at whatever they have to try to get that number down." Concerns raised by ttattic counts done on the Wilmot line for the current environ» mental assessment apply only to the portion of road from the Waterloo Golf Academy south tn lirb Street. MA In" no“) WATERIDO CHIJNICLIZ . Wednesday, May 9. 2007 . 3 H Her second month will be spent helping at an AIDS orphanage or a school. She's already started collecting items, such as colouring books and crayons. to take to the children - simple activities that will likely he newto them. work. Burns admitted she does- n't have any experience with people who have HIV or AIDS. "i've been reading a lot, and I'll obviously take the necessary precautions to stay safe." she said, "but I want to become as much a part of their culture as possi- ble. I don't want to look like a tourist; I want to fit in with the locals." "These children won't necessarily have AIDS; they may have lost their parents to AIDS and are now being raised by their grandparents. They've had to grow up so fast." Burns wishes she could stay in Africa for longer than two months. “I hope my being there will provide support and enhance the awareness around HIV and AIDS that now exists." she said. "Doing something like this, you can't help but grow and Cmd out who you are," Burns said. The environmental assessment was done to determine the best southern exit to the new subdivisions, which will feature a con trolled access that will only allow cars to move out of the new subdivision towards Erb Street, That could generate up to 3000 vehicles a day on the short portion of the Wilmot Line leading to Erh And, in return. she hopes to gain a sense of identity, and inspire other teenagers to make a difference too. Continued on page tr