World News

A foreign photographer snapping pictures of Toronto's homeless sparked 10-year-old Brennan Wong to pen his prize-winning story for the Genworth Financial Canada Student Writing Contest.

"I was a little sad because we are such a developed country and it is embarrassing that we have homeless people here and someone from another country was taking pictures of it," Brennan said in an interview.

The Grade 5 student at Richmond Hill's Crosby Heights Public School was first runner-up. Winner Sarah Murray is a Grade 4 student from Kingston.

Genworth will donate $5,000 to Habitat for Humanity of York Region in Brennan's name.

He will also receive a gift certificate of $100 from Chapters-Indigo.

Brennan's story:

Isn't it funny we always want to go home when we are tired?

Why do we always support the home team?

Why does our computer always start at the home page?

What is this special feeling that we have for a place called home?

Home is where we find shelter, comfort, food and safety.

Home is where we begin our lives under the nurture of our family, and the guidance of our parents. The school and the playground may be exciting, but home is where we come to rest our tired bodies.

Going home sometimes means more than going back to your house; it means going back to where you belong, with your family.

What makes a home?

The windows are the eyes that scan the neighbourhood for dangers.

The furnace is the heart that pumps out the heat during our cold winters.

The attic is the brain that stores a lot of junk!

The kitchen is the stomach that never stops growling. However, it is the parents and the children that make the home complete.

The home is a very important part of everyone's life.

What about the homeless people?

Without a home, they have no shelter, comfort, food or safety.

What can we do to help the homeless? We can organize some fundraising campaigns or persuade the government to set aside some money for them.

Do you want to take some positive action with me?

My dream is a world where there are no homeless people.

First of all, people should have jobs. Second, they should make decent wages. Third, they should be able to afford their own home.

Everyone should remember what Dorothy said in the movie, Wizard of Oz: "There is no place like home."