The mother of a Port Coquitlam teen who died after being bullied and extorted online for years is calling for corporate help.
Carol Todd, an educator with School District 43 (SD43), is asking for gift donations for the 8th annual Amanda Todd Legacy Society virtual auction, which will be conducted on 32auctions.com from Oct. 1 to 14, 2024.
The auction run coincides with World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10 and with the anniversary of the 15-year-old student’s unexpected death on the same date in 2012.
Overnight stays, experiences, retail goods, professional services and gift cards are sought for the fundraiser, which collects cash for the nonprofit’s operations to build awareness around online safety, exploitation, sextortion and mental wellness as well as provides education and resources about digital dangers and how to get help.
Last year, the auction brought in $27,000, of which $25,000 was put toward an endowment fund for music therapy students at Capilano University; proceeds from the signature event also support the ACCESS Youth Outreach Society, community projects and counselling.
Today, Aug. 9, Todd told the Tri-City News her daughter’s legacy aims to provide safe environments for children and families — in both the digital and non-digital worlds.
“Since Amanda died, the internet has become more complicated,” she said. “It’s so important to protect people’s mental health and mental wellness.”
During the last academic year, Todd participated in a SD43 online health series for parents focusing in on digital literacy and well being; another round is expected for the upcoming school year, she said.
The call for auction items comes as Aydin Coban, the Dutch man convicted in Amanda Todd’s case, starts serving his Canadian sentence in the Netherlands this month.
In October 2022, BC Supreme Court Judge Martha Devlin sentenced the now 46-year-old man to 13 years in prison after a jury found him guilty on five counts at the New Westminster Law Courts. He was convicted of four crimes:
- extortion
- importing and distributing child pornography
- communicating with the intent to lure a child
- criminal harassment
Last December, three judges in Amsterdam converted his Canadian sentence to six years behind bars; Coban had been in prison for similar crimes committed against girls and young women in the UK and Europe when the Todd court case started.
The deadline is Sept. 10, 2024, to donate an auction item for the Amanda Todd Legacy Society fundraiser. Email [email protected] to make a cash or gift contribution.
