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 Craig knew his life calling at a young age. He was inspired by a story he read in the newspaper eleven years ago; while scanning the front page for the comics, he saw a small picture and a story about a young boy from Pakistan (Iqbal Masih) who was twelve when he was shot and killed while riding his bicycle. Since Craig was also twelve, the article had a big impact on him. He cut out the article, took it to school and shared it with his classmates. He asked for volunteers to help, and eleven kids raised their hands. The Group of Twelve (twelve twelve-year-olds) was born, and Craig and his friends began their journey. After months of pleading with his parents, Craig backpacked through S.E. Asia with a chaperon. He saw first hand the inequalities of child labor in countries like Bangladesh and Nepal, and the experience inspired him to action.
Craig grew up in a “rich” household. He watched how tenderly his mother interacted with the homeless in Toronto. She would learn their names and where they were from, and she would look them in the eyes. She would see their humanity, Craig recalls. His mother’s authenticity and caring had a profound affect on Craig, as did his older brother Marc. His brother is involved in the organization and his parents use his frequent flyer miles to travel for up six months at a time to help children in war-torn areas of the world. While his parents were his greatest role models, he’s been impacting by world leaders Desmond Tutu, Mother Theresa, and Nelson Mandela. Craig says, “It doesn’t make a difference how old or young you are; you can’t change the world with one person. But you can make a world of difference.”
Check out Craig's site, freethechildren.com for more information on Free the Children.
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