What does a pig mean to you? That’s the question Michelle King, a sales rep with Sutton Group Grande Prairie Professionals in Grande Prairie, Alta. sets out to answer in her prize-winning short story titled Faith. Family. Friends. Farm. Sharing sweet and heartbreaking recollections of childhood in tapped-out, hardworking farm families, King submitted the story to the Lake Winnipeg Writer’s Contest, which had the theme of “Year of the Pig”. King won the contest and decided to pay it forward in support of education.

“The prize amount was $100, which I will match, so $200 will go towards the Willis Family Scholarship, a division of the G.M. Willis Family Endowment Fund, in partnership with the Interlake Foundation,” says King. “Each year, they award a $1,000 scholarship to a Stonewall Collegiate graduating student who enters post-secondary school in the fields of agriculture or business.

“It’s my hope that others see this as a friendly challenge and donate the remaining $800 for a fully funded scholarship from Sutton!”

King’s story will be included in Voices, an annual publication by the Lake Winnipeg Writer’s Group.

Finding a captivating way to share her slice of farm life near the small town of Teulon, Man. was rewarding.

“I had a teacher reach out to me a couple weeks ago about raising funds for kids who can’t afford books at Scholastic Fairs. She is a librarian and said she sees the same kids come in and look longingly at books, day after day until the fair is over, but can’t afford to buy. It touched my heart. All kids can go to the libraries, sure, but to have a special book that means something to you, that you get to take home and keep, read over and over, dream about and perhaps pass on to your kids someday? That’s priceless. That’s what memories are made of and we are going to make this happen.”

King and the librarian have been inviting anonymous donations. Children win books in a draw so that no one feels singled out as being impoverished.