The Odyssey Angels program had a successful first year. According to Director Cheryl Micklus, "Many groups proved that Odyssey of the Mind members are among the most thoughtful and generous students worldwide. It was incredibly difficult to choose just one group to attend World Finals and showcase its project because there were so many communities helped by good deeds completed by Odyssey Angels."

However, Pinetree Secondary School of British Columbia Canada stood out as thoughtful and creative. The group decided to help a member of its community raise awareness for homeless youth. To do this, Joe Roberts wanted to push a shopping cart across Canada as the start of his Push for Change Campaign. Shopping carts often prove difficult to navigate in a store, let alone in the terrain and distance he planned to cover.

This is where the Pinetree Odyssey Angel group used its creativity and engineering skills to design a cart that could accommodate such a feat. Group Leader Grace Chiang said, "As soon as we heard his idea we knew it seemed impossible, but we also felt that we had the potential to make it happen. The story behind the man, Joe Roberts, was very inspiring to us and we wanted it to be more well-known."

As someone that went from being a homeless teen to becoming a successful businessman, Roberts felt the need to give back to his community and help those in similar situations. So, he started the Push for Change and his shopping cart journey is its first project. He entrusted the Pinetree Odyssey Angels with a major component of his important mission.

The cart had to be lightweight, have an odometer, be wind and rain resistant, and more. The group's design exceeded expectations and Roberts used it for his project. The cart that they designed will travel over 5,000 miles. Chiang credits participating in Odyssey of the Mind for helping them with this project, "OotM is all about teamwork and problem solving, without those things there would have been no way for us to design this shopping cart."

Roberts was so impressed with the cart that he traveled to Iowa to present the group with its plaque at World Finals. He spoke about the great work the group did and acknowledged Pinetree Odyssey Angels as the beginning of Push for Change's legacy.

Aside from the accolades at World Finals, Pinetree's Odyssey Angel members are simply happy that the cart they built will be a symbol of hope for those in their community and beyond.

Chiang said, "Being an Odyssey Angel made me think about other people besides myself. Odyssey of the Mind competitors are no doubt gifted with the ability to solve issues, they practice it and put it to work in their long term problem. Odyssey Angels tests if that ability can be put to practical use. Many people have asked me why I choose to participate in Odyssey of the Mind and what better way to show them the purpose of it than to show how I've used my skills to change the world around me?

I would definitely recommend others to take on the role of an Odyssey Angel. Odyssey Angels are inspiring, selfless, and compassionate people who love to help others. What more could someone want a person to be?"