This social entrepreneur wants young people to know the sky's the limit
CBC
CBC Quebec is highlighting people from the province's Black communities who are giving back, inspiring others and helping to shape our future. These are the Black Changemakers.
Loreena Gabriel hasn't forgotten what it felt like to work two jobs as she was preparing to graduate from high school.
Faced with the expenses of college and prom, she said, she didn't want to put the burden entirely on her mother when money was tight.
"I remember saying to myself, if I'm able to help someone when I'm older not have to go through all this, I would definitely do that," said Gabriel, who was born and raised in southwest Montreal.
Now a publicist and radio and podcast host, Gabriel made good on that promise to herself with The Crown Project.
She came up with the idea in 2014, as a way of giving back to her community. It began as a winter clothing drive in Little Burgundy but is now so much more.
The Crown Project selects one lucky Montrealer to get a "prom makeover," where Gabriel finds the clothing and accessories that the winning student dreams of wearing on her big night.
Gabriel also runs a pop-up shop around prom season, with donated items available for free. (Last year, due to the pandemic, gift boxes were sent to 20 lucky girls instead.)
"When you're a kid, you don't want to miss out on the fun and the milestones," said Gabriel. "You just want to make sure you have that magical moment one last time with your friends. I know how hard it is sometimes to keep up with the trends and look nice."
Gabriel completed a degree in anthropology and sociology at Concordia University and then studied public relations as she worked to launch a fashion jewelry business.
While that business didn't work out, she said learning about PR opened doors for her, ultimately leading to her career as a publicist and helping her hone the organizational and networking skills that power The Crown Project.
"I didn't know from my experiences where I grew up that that was an option for me," she said.
Through the project, she has also provided Montrealers with school supplies, supported homeless shelters and made donations for hurricane relief in Barbuda and the Bahamas.
To ensure more young people know what's out there, The Crown Project is now expanding to include resources for financial literacy and career development.
Flu cases across Canada are on the rise and may push hospitals to their limits over the holidays and into the new year, leading health officials in regions across the country to warn people not to visit emergency rooms unless it's absolutely necessary.
More than 30 years after Canada's military allowed women to serve in combat roles, it's now specifically designing uniforms and body armour to fit their bodies.
The holiday season has arrived in Thunder Bay, and that means reduced hours, or closures, for businesses, city offices, and other amenities.
As Toronto’s food scene continues to grow, some in the industry say the pool of professional chefs hasn’t kept up with demand.
Police have charged a truck driver from the Hamilton area in a hit-and-run crash that killed a tow truck operator who had been stopped while helping a driver on the side of Highway 401 outside Woodstock, Ont.
Power has been restored to most of Haines Junction after a problem earlier on Monday at the local generating station.
A 56-year-old man will return to court on Tuesday for a charge of second-degree murder, laid in a case London police have called an act of femicide.
The chairman of the committee leading Newfoundland and Labrador's independent review of the Churchill Falls memorandum of understanding with Quebec is backing the impartiality of his three-man team.
The province has taken a major step toward restarting its onshore natural gas industry.
Allan Legere, serving a life sentence at a maximum security prison in Alberta, has been denied a request for full parole.
Winnipeg’s Granite Curling Club has asked a judge to decide whether the City of Winnipeg can ignore a provincial decision about residential housing slated to rise next to the club.
A Saskatoon woman says she watched her neighbour's police standoff play out in real time on social media.
One person is dead from carbon monoxide poisoning, following an incident Friday at a building in Regina.