{"id":102607,"date":"2026-06-25T02:18:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T02:18:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/102607\/"},"modified":"2026-06-25T02:18:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T02:18:24","slug":"cross-canada-run-fuels-hope-scholarships-for-displaced-youth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/102607\/","title":{"rendered":"Cross-Canada run fuels hope, scholarships for displaced youth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ontario orphan James Newman, now 22, is running across Canada to fund scholarships for displaced youth. He started last month in Newfoundland. <\/p>\n

James Newman lost both parents as a child and now he is running from Newfoundland to British Columbia<\/a> to raise $250,000 for post-secondary scholarships through the Children\u2019s Aid Foundation of Canada<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mission forged by loss<\/p>\n

James Newman\u2019s running shoes hit the pavement on Wednesday as he jogged through North Bay, Ont., continuing a journey that began in St. John\u2019s, Nfld., on May 18. The 22-year-old from Oakville is aiming to run 7,500 kilometres across Canada, concluding in Victoria, B.C., with a goal of becoming the youngest person to complete the trek in under 100 days.<\/p>\n

\"\"James Newman James Newman, 22, who lost both parents as a child, is looking to run 7,500 kilometres across Canada in under 100 days to raise $250,000 for post-secondary scholarships for the Children’s Aid Foundation. Newman is shown here bolting through the North Bay area on June 24, 2026. (Eric Taschner\/CTV News Northern Ontario) <\/p>\n

Newman told CTV News that his motivation is rooted in a childhood marked by a profound loss. When he was only seven years old, both of his parents died. In the years that followed, he grew up supported by a network of friends, other family members and his community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were times when I felt alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u00a0James Newman, 22, lost both parents at age 7<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d say one of the biggest things I want to get out there is that they\u2019re not alone,\u201d Newman said. <\/p>\n

Fueling futures through education<\/p>\n

The run, called James Run Canada<\/a>, is a fundraising initiative for the Children\u2019s Aid Foundation\u2019s post-secondary education program. Newman said he hopes to raise $250,000 to create scholarships for youth who, like him, have experienced displacement during childhood.<\/p>\n

As he ran along Highway 17, leaving North Bay, Newman checked the donation tracker<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re over halfway to our goal. It\u2019s amazing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The foundation has funded renewable scholarships for about 30 years and during that time, it has delivered more than $25 million in scholarships to almost 9,000 youth, with demand growing.<\/p>\n

Jeff Schiffer, the foundation\u2019s president and CEO, emphasized the significance of Newman\u2019s effort.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is inspiring. James knows what it\u2019s like to not have somebody there to support him in life\u2019s most difficult moments,\u201d Schiffer said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the reality for the 61,000 kids that are living in out-of-home care on any given day in Canada.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that he is carving a pathway right across this country in ways that are going to create pathways towards education for youth is beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u00a0Jeff Schiffer, president and CEO of the Children’s Aid Foundation of CanadaCritical disparity<\/p>\n

Schiffer explained to CTV News the stark educational statistics facing youth in care and why the scholarships Newman is funding are so vital.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that education is the fastest and most powerful pathway to independence.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u2014 \u00a0Jeff Schiffer, president and CEO of the Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada<\/p>\n

In Ontario, it is estimated that only about 46 per cent of children who grow up in care graduate from high school, compared to 83 per cent of the general population.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf those who graduate, only 27 per cent go to post-secondary education and that\u2019s about half of the rate of the average Canadian,\u201d said Schiffer. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo, the disparity is large\u201d<\/p>\n

Every $5,000 raised by Newman can be turned into one scholarship for one year. Schiffer said that the foundation amplifies this support through wraparound services, ensuring that when a youth receives a scholarship, it is not a one-time resource.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a youth comes and gets a scholarship at the foundation, it\u2019s renewable for the entire leg of their journey,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a youth gets one of those scholarships, they\u2019re not just receiving a little bit of financial support. They\u2019re getting some wraparound services.\u201d<\/p>\n

Re-energized by connection<\/p>\n

Throughout his run, Newman has met many new people who have come out to cheer him on and support him. He has participated in some charity visits and events with youth, while also reigniting old friendships from his childhood. He said these encounters provide the motivation to continue pushing westward each day.<\/p>\n

\"\"James Newman James Newman, 22, who lost both parents as a child, is looking to run 7,500 kilometres across Canada in under 100 days to raise $250,000 for post-secondary scholarships for the Children’s Aid Foundation. Newman is shown here bolting through the North Bay area on June 24, 2026. (Eric Taschner\/CTV News Northern Ontario) <\/p>\n

\u201cEvery single time visit, I just get re-energized again,\u201d Newman said. <\/p>\n

\u201cI reconnect with my mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Dream on\u2019<\/p>\n

Newman also shared a message for the young people he is running to support.<\/p>\n

\"\"James Newman James Newman, 22, who lost both parents as a child, is looking to run 7,500 kilometres across Canada in under 100 days to raise $250,000 for post-secondary scholarships for the Children’s Aid Foundation. June 24, 2026. (Eric Taschner\/CTV News Northern Ontario) <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a brighter future ahead of you and you should never give up,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou should dream on.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ontario orphan James Newman, now 22, is running across Canada to fund scholarships for displaced youth. He started…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":102608,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[14871,37030,17,37028,37029,37031,37033,37026,37034,25720,290,31346,37032,20921,94,37027,11874,37025,13916,1681,37024],"class_list":["post-102607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-14871","tag-37030","tag-canada","tag-childrens-aid-foundation","tag-cross-country","tag-displaced","tag-hope","tag-james-newman","tag-james-run-canada","tag-loss","tag-national","tag-north-bay","tag-not-alone","tag-oakville","tag-ontario","tag-orphaned","tag-run","tag-scholarhip","tag-scholarships","tag-sudbury","tag-walk"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102607"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102607\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/102608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}