9-year-old hosts online auction to raise money for Regina NICU

“Change the world with kindness” is the motto 9-year-old Catherine Okolita, from Fort Qu’Appelle, lives her life by.

At just five-years-old Catherine decided she wanted to help others, after enlisting the help of friends and family to clean a local park.

“When I was really little a park was really messy and mommy said that we wouldn’t go back until someone cleaned it,” Catherine said. “At bedtime I was telling mom that I was somebody.”

From there the youngster founded Catherine’s Cause, a community initiative to raise money for various causes.

She started selling sausages and hot dogs, and even hosted an online auction. Last year she raised close to $12,000.

“It’s really amazing to see where it’s come from and it’s amazing to see the community and complete strangers jump in and are willing to help out,” Catherine’s mom, Caralen Okolita said.

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For her latest venture, Catherine is hosting an online auction to raise money for the NICU at Regina General Hospital.

“My nephew Logan was born a month premature so he ended up spending about a month in the NICU, so we ended up having first-hand experience,” Caralen said.

So far around 200 items have been donated including an autographed Saskatchewan Roughriders jersey.

“It’s amazing how many people want to pitch in and donate,” Catherine said.

The auction starts Thursday at 5:00 p.m. and runs until Sunday, Catherine hopes to raise $6,000 to keep spreading her kindness to others.