| Jordie Dorman
In March of 2007 Jordie Dorman was in his pickup truck heading home,
looking forward to playing for the Nanaimo Pirates that summer and
hoping to be offered a baseball scholarship to a US college... <MORE> |
| ABE Students
Adults who choose to upgrade their
education after being away from classrooms for years, definitely qualify
as Hidden Heroes in my book; especially those for whom high school just
didn’t fit when they were younger; those who dropped out early... <MORE> |
| Silvia Wende
Many years ago Susan Jeffers wrote a
book called, “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway.” Sylvia Wende’s photo
could have been on the cover... <MORE> |
| Spencer Schachtel
Twenty two year old Spencer
Schachtel wanted the world to know that there are no boundaries placed
on people like him who have type 1 diabetes, so he trekked to Mount
Everest base camp along with seven other young people who have the
disease just to prove it. <MORE> |
| Shona Pickup
Shona Pickup cruised through high
school playing a lot of sports and getting B’s in her academic subjects.
Since she didn’t like science and didn’t need it to graduate, she never
saw the inside of a lab... <MORE> |
| Margie Langille
After months or years or even
decades of thinking about it, many of us have eventually made major life
changes and found the new direction both affirming and energizing. For
others, fear of change has presented a barrier they simply couldn’t
overcome. Not that long ago, Margie Langille took that first step toward
change, that leap of faith, and her life has been an exciting adventure
ever since... <MORE> |
| Paddy Tillotson
Before suffering a stroke that
took most of her speech and left one side paralyzed, Paddy Tillotson was
a Child Protection Worker who, according to Eve Reinalz, was a
workaholic caregiver who was there for everyone that came into her life;
clients, family, friends, her fellow workers and more... <MORE> |
| Randy Hubert
Multiple Sclerosis forced Randy
Huber out of the Canadian Air Force in 1997 but today, as far as
physical fitness is concerned, he says he’s in better shape than he was
20 years ago... <MORE> |
| Surfside
This story is about a number of
different Hidden Heroes. First there is the small group of anonymous
recovering alcoholics who, in the early 1980s, decided to purchase a
building and offer housing and support to other men who wanted to break
their addiction to alcohol. They called their facility Surfside. Then
there are the hundreds who have taken advantage of the 42 or 84-day
supportive recovery program that has evolved there... <MORE> |
| Dean Duperron
Today he could have a chest full of
silver spoons if he wanted; however, this week’s Hidden Hero, wasn’t
born with a silver spoon in his mouth. In fact when he first went out to
face the world on his own, he had no spoons of any kind,little or no
food and no roof over his head. But he did have a strong role model to
help him overcome those challenges... <MORE> |
| Mark Northup
There has been a lot of discussion
in the local media this past week as to whether drug addicts have a
disease or an addiction, whether they should be sentenced to long
periods of time in jail or sent to a treatment centre... <MORE> |
|
Crystal Carson
Recently I wrote a column about Crystal
Carson, a woman with a learning disability who has achieved amazing
successes in the past five years since she chose to live independently
after her mother was killed in an automobile accident... <MORE> |
| Heather Williams
Do you may remember reading
about Heather Williams back in 2001? She is the young entertainer who
was working with Universal Studios in Japan when she was hit by a
taxicab while riding her bike... <MORE> |
| Kathaleen Perry
There's no doubt that Kathaleen
Perry is a Neighbourhood Hero but I'm having trouble just starting to
write this column about her... <MORE> |
| Crystal Carson
Crystal Carson was born with a
learning disability and a head full of dreams but other than her
parents, no one else could see those dreams ever becoming a reality...
<MORE> |
| Robin Dutton
Robin Dutton started mountain biking
when he was fourteen, turned pro at nineteen, and began competing in
elite triathlons a few years after that...
<MORE> |
| Kristy Tymos
Kristy Tymos has been featured many
times in this newspaper over the past months... <MORE> |
| Ron Plecas
Is there life after mental illness?
You bet there is. Just ask Ron Plecas... <MORE> |
| Brenda Tom
Between the ages of seventeen and
nineteen, Brenda Tom was left fully responsible for all of her brothers
and sisters ranging in age from six to fourteen. Given that workload,
her schoolwork began to suffer and soon she dropped out three courses
short of her High School Dogwood Diploma, a shortfall that left a
nagging emptiness deep in her being... <MORE> |
| Merv Davis
I frequently teach a business
communications course for adults. As part of the program, students are
required to draw a topic from a hat and speak extemporaneously on that
subject... <MORE> |
| Carla Henderson
"Put your can'ts in a can and
let's go for it!"
That's the way Carla Henderson coaches her Special Olympics and
Disability Games athletes; that's also the way she lives her life... <MORE> |
|
Charles Darrow
I came across a story about Charles Darrow
this weekend, a story that highlights the importance of maintaining a
positive attitude as we go through life's difficult times... <MORE> |
| Roberta Mitchell
Five times over the past year
I've had the opportunity to teach an intensive four-week communications
course at a local private college. During that time I have met a number
of Neighbourhood Heroes; most of them people in their 30s, 40s and 50s
who, for a variety of reasons, have decided to upgrade their
education... <MORE> |
| Rick
Lennert and Adrianne Dartnall
Over the past four years, Rick
Lennert and Adrianne Dartnall have made a major difference in the lives
of hundreds of people in South East Asia, all in the name of Adrianne's
daughter, Danielle, who was killed by a drunk driver five years ago...
<MORE> |
| Louise Rabu
I am pleased to be able to call
Joelle Rabu, the daughter of today's Neighbourhood Heroes, a friend. So
last Thursday I read with great joy that she was soon to receive the
city's Excellence in the Arts Cultural Award. Then, the very next day,
I read that her father had recently passed away and that her mother is
battling stomach cancer... <MORE> |
|
Joy and Keith Hunter
Have you ever experienced a period in your life when everything was
going wrong and it seemed like nothing would ever go right again? Have
you ever noticed that, over time, things usually work out ... and most
often for the better? <MORE> |
|
Karen Cross
When you see Karen Cross coming, not only does her smile light up the
room, but it also sets the whole building aglow. She is an inspiration
machine! <MORE> |
|
Marie Harel
It's a joy to see Marie Harel, the principal of Uplands Park School,
walking down the hall greeting children, parents and teachers. It's
easy to see she loves her job and that she's good at it ... really good
at it... <MORE> |
| Ray Kittle
Ray Kittle was diagnosed with Chronic
Lymphocytic Leukemia on May 31, 2001 but kept it a secret from everyone
except his wife, Bet, for the next three years. He didn't want people to
worry... <MORE> |
| Jerry Craigie
Last Saturday a Celebration of Life
ceremony was held for Jerry Craigie, a definite Neighbourhood Hero... <MORE> |
|
Phil Nealy
Last week I wrote about Phil Nealy who, as a result of a diving accident
when he was 23, became a quadriplegic with only limited use of his arms,
a quadriplegic who, in his words, "skipped learned helplessness"...
<MORE> |
|
Phil Nealy
We all know that we should get the most out of every second of every
day, because we never know what might happen in the next moment. Not so
many of us know that no matter what kind of terrible thing we might
suffer, it will invariably lead us in new but exciting directions if we
manage to keep a positive mind set...
<MORE> |
|
Colleen O'Connor
By the time she was in Grade 4, Colleen O'Connor's family thought she
had started down the road towards becoming a bully but then her
grandmother stepped in and her path changed...
<MORE> |
|
Sherenna Knapp
A few months ago I started teaching a communications course part time.
Today's Neighbourhood Hero is one of my students. This is her story in
her own words.
If it weren't for my sister and a kind lady I met at the hospital, I
wouldn't be where I am today. I would be at home feeling sorry for
myself, wishing I had a better life. Instead I am in school becoming the
person I want to be...
<MORE> |
|
Cheri Rost
I constantly surprised that very few readers have nominated teachers who
have made a difference in their life but I am shocked that, until now,
no one has nominated their mother.
Adam Hall was the first and here's what he wrote about his mom...
<MORE> |
|
Susan Houchen & Jenny Bentley
When Susan Houchen found herself pregnant at sixteen, she promised
herself that when her kids were grown, she would complete her education.
It's been a challenging journey... <MORE> |
|
Casey Gallagher
Robin Littleford, a teacher at G. F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre in
Vancouver, says she has never experienced anything like the progress
Casey Gallagher has made over the past nine months... <MORE> |
|
George and Ruth Cook
Last week people at Tillicum Haus Native Friendship Centre invited me to
attend a personal empowerment workshop called THUYALSHUNUM, Preparing
For Your Life... <MORE> |
| Kathaleen Perry
There's no doubt that Kathaleen
Perry is a Neighbourhood Hero but I'm having trouble just starting to
write this column about her... <MORE> |
| Kevin Hicks
When the dust settled after the
accident, the passenger’s side of the car was literally wrapped around a
tree but miraculously the passenger, a seventeen-year-old drumming
sensation, survived. He was severely brain injured and in a coma but he
survived... <MORE> |
| Coincidences Find Neighbourhood Heroes
A series
of coincidences led me to the Port Theatre last Friday night to enjoy
the best show I have seen since the theatre opened... <MORE> |
| Joy Hunter
Have you ever gone through a period in
your life when everything was going wrong and it seemed like nothing
would ever go right again? Have you ever noticed that over time things
usually change...and most often for the better... <MORE> |
| Heather Williams
Do you may remember reading
about Heather Williams back in 2001? She is the young entertainer who
was working with Universal Studios in Japan when she was hit by a
taxicab while riding her bike... <MORE> |
| Joe ("Baby Joe") Wilson
Today's column is a story
about overcoming great odds. It's also a love story... <MORE> |
|
Steve Littley
Twenty years ago Steve Littley was a
sixteen-year-old high school drop out. Today he is an extraordinary
student who will soon have both a masters' degree in anthropology from
SFU and a law degree from UBC... <MORE> |
| Moya Beedie
Few parents react with joy when they
learn that their teenage daughter is pregnant but Moya Beedie who had
her first child at fifteen wants all parents and others to know that
teenage pregnancy can lead to a positive outcome...and her parents agree
-- They were the ones that nominated her as this week's Neighbourhood
Hero... <MORE> |
| Candace Robertson
Recently, Bob Esliger, one of
the teachers at VAST, an alternative school here in Nanaimo, nominated
one of his students as a Neighbourhood Hero. VAST is a school that
offers a second chance to teenagers who have dropped out of school,l
especially teenage moms... <MORE> |
| Chris Moutray
Four years ago, Laura Howe, an
Education Assistant, met Chris Moutray, a Grade 8 student whose face was
hidden under a hood and whose eyes were "empty"... <MORE> |
| Karren Fraser
Early in January Kerren Fraser had
at least four different goals when she started training to run in this
spring's Victoria 10K race and she reached every one of them. However,
in retrospect, they were minor achievements compared to the unexpected
gift she received... <MORE> |
| Paul and Jo
British Columbia is a hikers paradise
and the Mid-Island region is among the best of the best.
Unfortunately, many of us don't take advantage of the fabulous
opportunities we have because we've told ourselves we're too old … or
we're just too far out of shape … or we have too many health problems …
or …. <MORE> |
| Sheila Giesbrecht
Today's column could be about
1.2 million people in 162 countries around the world -- Rotarians who in
May of 1988 made a commitment to eradicate polio from the planet and
they expect to meet their goal by 2005...
<MORE> |
| Janell Karst and Linda Karst/Labbee
Janell Karst,
a 21 year-old Tourism Management student has nominated her aunt, Linda
Karst/Labbee, as today's Neighbourhood Hero and, in turn, I want to
nominate her...
<MORE> |
| Dan Wardrope
"I've been called a lot of names
over the years," twenty-five year old Dan Wardrop says, "but I've only
been beaten up once..." <MORE> |
| "Robert"
Big boys should cry.
That's the message today's Neighbourhood Hero has been delivering to
high school students over the past few months.
<MORE> |
| Ruth Vallis
Ruth Vallis is an extraordinary
physiotherapist. "She's so happy and cheerful she makes pain fun," says
one of her patients, "and being blind doesn't slow her down a bit..." <MORE> |
| Lindy Edgett
I saw a top ten list of fears
recently, fear of death was number seven, fear of public speaking was
number one.
Lindy Edgett is committed to helping people overcome that number one
fear... <MORE> |
| Sally Norris
Ashley Robertson, a 14 year-old
student at Wellington Secondary School, wrote today's column. A talented
poet, singer and writer, Ashley reviewed our Neighbourhood Heroes
WebQuest program designed for students and then interviewed and wrote
this column about Sally Norris, today's Neighbourhood Hero. I've never
seen anyone do a better job on a first effort of this nature.
Here is Ashley's column:
When I first saw Sally Norris, the First Nations Elder in Residence
at Dover Bay Secondary School, she was literally glowing...
<MORE> |
| Brian Mehaffey
Do you think things getting better
at City Hall? One of Nanaimo's leading developers thinks they are.
Three years ago, he would have been part of a small minority... <MORE> |
| Peggy Lake
Don't mess with Peggy Lake. She's a
woman on a mission.
Peggy is committed to empowering people who are living in poverty --
people like her. She is also committed to empowering people who are
living with mental illness -- people like her... <MORE> |
| Mike MacCoy
Mike MacCoy was taken from an
alcoholic home at the age of ten and spent the next five years in a
variety of Ontario foster homes... <MORE> |
| Karen Clevette
Today's Neighbourhood Hero
graduated from Nanaimo District Secondary School last spring with a 4.0
grade point average. As well as earning a place on the Principal's List,
she was also chosen as class valedictorian and won the Personal
Achievement and Peer Helper Awards. While winning all of these honours,
43 year-old Karen Clevette also worked full-time as one of the school's
janitors. <MORE> |
|
Constance Hansey
More than 40 percent of adult Canadians have
difficulty with reading, writing and using numbers. Constance Hansey is
one of that 40 percent but she's doing something to change that … big
time... <MORE> |
| Marica Benvin
In early June of 1991, Marica
Benvin left her home in Croatia for a one-month vacation to visit a
friend in British Columbia. Two days after her arrival, she met the man
she would marry that same Aug <MORE> |
