A 15-year-old Calgary girl is heading to France this week to take part in the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Vimy Ridge after her efforts to support the Alberta Children’s Hospital were acknowledged.

Rachel Barlow will join 17 other students from across Canada for a nine-day trip where they will visit prominent First World War battlefields in France and Belgium and explore Canada’s contributions in the Great War.

The Vimy Foundation selected Barlow for the Vimy Pilgrimage Award and the all-expenses paid trip as a result of her schoolwork, mentoring and bicycle trip across Alberta in the summer of 2016 that raised more than $11,000 for the Alberta Children’s Hospital.

“I kind of thought that once it was over and the money had been sent that that was the end of it,” said Barlow. “It would be remembered by me and my family but most people would just forget about it.

The Bishop Carroll High School student, who is in the tenth grade, looks forward to learning more about the lives of Canadians who served and to further understand what they were fighting for.

“I feel like a lot of us don't appreciate it but this project can make me appreciate it more,” explained Barlow. “We might not have been able to go to school at my age or done a lot of things we do at my age if it wasn't for these people in the war.”

Barlow will not be the first member of her family to visit Vimy Ridge. After learning of the trip, Barlow’s 95-year-old grandfather, who lives in Winnipeg, sent a letter and photographs informing her of his time at the site. The package included a book on Vimy Ridge that he had purchased in 1944 bearing the inscription:

“In September 1944, I paid a visit to Vimy Ridge as our unit was set up for business nearby as we followed the 4th armoured division across Europe”

Sgt. E. Barlow.

Rachel Barlow says she’s glad that the importance of Vimy Ridge has not been lost after a century.

“It’s been 100 years and a lot has changed in society,” said Barlow. “It’s really cool that we’re able to remember that and how important it was.”

For more information about Vimy Day and the Vimy Pilgrimage Award. visit The Vimy Foundation.

With files from CTV's Kevin Fleming