Pop-music superstar Sarah McLachlan will be receiving another honor at the Juno Awards this weekend, but this time it won't be for her music.
McLachlan will get the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award, given each year to artists who have made a difference in their community. She has been a voice for the SPCA and helped women's and children's programs across the country.
She also started the Sarah McLachlan Music Outreach eight years ago to help inner-city kids get access to musical instruments and training.
"I always wanted to give back to kids in particular and what makes the most sense for me was music," says McLachlan.
"How incredible it is to see what happens to young people when they have access to the arts and music," says McLachlan.
More than 200 kids access this program every year. Inside the music center's East Vancouver building, guitar strumming echoes through hallways and practice rooms.
Potter Luan, 17, started in the program five years ago.
"It's made a pretty big difference in my life," he says. "I spend a couple of hours a week here."
And now Luan is planning on using all that he's learned at the outreach center. In an effort to give something back to the community, he is planning to become a music teacher.
"It's so inspiring to see how many lives [Sarah McLachlan's] touched through this program," says Luan.
With a report from CTV's Brent Gilbert
