Sophia Gran-Ruaz, Former Homeless Child, Honored For Her Charity Work

When Sophia Gran-Ruaz was a young girl in Ontario, Canada, her mother found herself in a tough spot, and she was homeless for a brief time. When she was 10 years old, she began interviewing homeless people on the streets, and at age 11, she started her own organization, Snug As A Bug.

As Jenny Yuen reports for QMI Agency, one had to be 18 to volunteer with homeless groups, so Snug As A Bug became Gran-Ruaz's outlet to help others. This past week, she won Canada's Top Teen Philanthropy Search. Snug As A Bug gives shelters in the Toronto area 3,000 care packages every year.

From QMI:

As winner of the philanthropy award, Gran-Ruaz also received $5,000 to donate to Hockey for the Homeless and $1,000 towards the cost of university. She hopes to study biomedical science at the University of Ottawa.

"I'm really honoured and I'm glad to hear that despite what you hear on the news, people are really good-hearted and willing to help out people in need," she said.

Watch an interview with Sophia Gran-Ruaz here.

Get HuffPost Impact On Facebook and Twitter!