Old News

Six-year-old Samantha Bakker’s plans to raise money for tsunami victims has finally been realized. Bakker collected $10,000 for aid groups by selling a special drawing to a special man. Samantha used her collection of crayons to draw a simple picture of a world surrounded by hearts. Then, with the help of her mother, she auctioned it on eBay, hoping to raise a bit of money to help other children, those hit by the tsunami. “I wanted to help,” the pony-tailed tot told CTV’s Canada AM Tuesday.

But Samantha was the victim of a cruel hoax. Bidding for her drawing quickly hit $10,000, more than she ever dreamed. But when the auction closed, the buyer turned out to be a fake.

When Toronto real estate developer Don Darroch heard of Samantha’s plight, he decided he’d make the contribution himself, that Samantha had counted on, and handed over a cheque. Darroch’s gift came at a sad time in his life. Over the holidays, he lost his brother. He had been the victim of a gay bashing 18 months ago, and succumbed to his injuries.

“So there I was in my office with my brother’s ashes on my desk, and I couldn’t do anything for him,” Darroch recalls. “But there was a little girl with a broken heart that I thought I could help.” On Tuesday on Canada AM, Samantha and Darroch met for the first time as a very proud Samantha presented the framed picture to its new owner. “Thank you very much Samantha, it’s very pretty,” Darroch told her. “I think it’s going to go in my office, where I will be reminded of Samantha every day.”