Captain Mana may be the hero students at Heritage Woods Secondary School in Port Moody didn’t know they wanted.
But he’s the hero starving families in the Democratic Republic of the Congo need.
Holden Sullivan is the Grade 12 student wearing the cape as Captain Mana, a mascot conjured by his leadership class colleagues to energize the school’s sixth annual Move4Mana challenge that turns physical and mental well-being into nutritious food packets destined for a third-world country.
Not that this year’s effort needed much of a boost.
After two years of virtual events because of COVID-19 public health restrictions, Sullivan said students were raring to go when the month-long campaign kicked off Oct. 18 with an assembly in the school’s gym.
“The kids really get excited,” Sullivan said. “It’s something different.”
“It was very special,” added fellow organizer Kyla Tsuyuki. “It was shocking to see everyone’s faces in one place.”
Move4Mana challenges students to log their physical activity online over the course of a month, earning points which are redeemed for special food packets that contain high-protein nutrients like fortified peanut paste, vitamins and milk powder.
The packets are donated by the Food for Famine Society and distributed to a country in need through World Vision Canada.
It’s the leadership students’ job to get their fellow students educated about the initiative, excited to sign up and motivated to follow through.
Enter Captain Mana.
In weekly classroom planning sessions, as well as daily meetings before school and even on weekends, the group decided this year’s effort needed a spark.
Sullivan’s shock of blue hair and matching cape is a constant reminder to students and staff that it’s Move4Mana season as he circulates through the hallways to his classes and strides down Heritage Woods’ expansive atrium at lunch.
The character also brings a sense of excitement to the various activities planned through the month like a scavenger hunt, a massive game of musical chairs and trivia contests that give students opportunities to boost their activity stats and even win prizes such as gift cards, special Mana bears, an Apple Watch, Bluetooth speakers and even tickets to a Vancouver Canucks game — although these days that might feel a bit more like a punishment than a reward.
“If you see Captain Mana, you know something is going to be happening,” Sullivan said.
And students don’t even have to work up a sweat: Mindfulness activities like yoga, reading and journaling are also worth points.
“Physical and mental health are both incredibly important,” said Gayatri Sood, another member of the organizing committee.
By the time this year’s Move4Mana wraps up on Nov. 18, the team hopes to accumulate enough points to send food packets that will provide life-saving sustenance to more than 900 people in need — the amount raised last year.
More importantly, though, Sullivan said they want their peers to think about issues much greater than their own immediate lives, and inspire the next cohort of young leaders to pick up their mantle.
“You have to find the balance between education and excitement,” he said.
“If you don’t have that excitement, it can be a downer.”
