Megan Kelly

Screening of film "Grace"

Thursday, May 17, 2012, 7:00-9:00 P.M.
 

Grant MacEwan University
City Centre Campus (10700 104 Ave, Edmonton, Alberta)
Room 7-218

Our meetings are free and open to the public.  Everyone is welcome!

'Grace' is the story of a young girl's struggle to escape poverty on a garbage dump through education. 13 year-old Mary-Grace Rapatan has lived on the Umapad garbage dump in Cebu, Philippines her entire life. She must pick through mountains of rotting trash, searching for recyclable material, to make ends meet for her family. Though she earns less than two dollars a day, Mary-Grace is determined to save just enough money for elementary school. She is at the top of her class until a family emergency gives the girl no choice: quit school or starve. After months of scavenging in the heat only to make a few dollars a day, Mary-Grace begins to wonder if she'll ever get a second chance to build a future for her family.

Meagan Kelly is a filmmaker and journalist with a mission to cultivate compassion through visual storytelling. The 26 year-old made her directorial debut with Grace: an award-winning documentary about a young girl’s struggle to escape poverty on a garbage dump in the Philippines. Grace has appeared in ten film festivals worldwide, including the Global Visions Film Festival in Edmonton. Meagan has now created The Gift of Grace Foundation: a non-profit aimed at educating scavenger children in the Philippines.

After graduating with a journalism degree from Carleton University, Meagan traveled to 17 countries worldwide. However, she has always called the Edmonton area home. She has worked as a reporter locally at CityTV and CBC Edmonton. Most recently, Meagan has begun taking her documentary into local schools to show students the importance of education and to raise awareness about The Gift of Grace Foundation. Meagan currently works as a reporter and producer at the Edmonton office for Crossroads Television Systems.