ritchie burnell

“Respect goes a long way” – Ritchie Burnell

Ritchie Burnell is the oldest of two and when he was young he lived with one parent, his mother.  He has a sister that is five years younger than him.  Ritchie wanted to be an athlete and a P.E Coach.  Ritchie’s happiest moment was when he had his first son.  He now has five kids and ten grand-kids.  One of his painful moments was when he lost his grandma in 1985.  He was very close to his grandma.  His most important person in life is his mother.  She is 78 years old.  He is grateful for his grandkids and he tries to spend a lot of time with them.  His advice to teenagers is to learn how to respect people because this is the number one problem and respect goes a long way.

vanessa,17

Dreams of becoming a Game Designer
Important influence: My Families and Teachers
Grateful for: the support I receive from my Dad and others who have helped me.

When I heard about this project I wanted to join right way.  The reason why I joined is because I love to help others even if they are homeless. For my painting, I have chosen the color blue and light violet. When I saw Ritchie Burnell’s video I was in tears when he said he lost his grandma.  I have lost two of my grandpas and my close family member who I called Nino.  I felt blue inside when I heard one of my grandpas had passed away so I chose blue for Ritchie’s face and violet for the background.  I wanted to communicate that he was not the only one who lost someone important in life and we must stay positive.