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One Small Thing
Early in May at the end of a Hidden Heroes presentation for a group
of teenagers, I asked if anyone would like to commit with me to do one
small thing each day for ourselves and one small thing for someone else,
and then report in each day by email. Naomi and Rebecca Muller, Cheryl
Wieler and Emily Post accepted the challenge... <MORE> |
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Uplands Park Money for Zimbabwe Orphans
Once again the students at Uplands Park Elementary School are raising money to help
Orphans in Zimbabwe, and this year they are doing it big time... <MORE> |
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Michelle Fries
A little over three years ago, Joyce
Mitchell, a counsellor at Nanaimo District Secondary School called me to
ask if I would drop by the school to talk to Michelle Fries, one of her
students. Michelle had saved over $1,000 and wanted me to take it to
Zimbabwe with me and use it to help AIDS orphans... <MORE> |
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Rotary Youth Leadership Program
When I spoke at RYLA last month (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards), I
stressed many of the concepts taught in the Our Hidden Heroes Education
Program... <MORE> |
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Rotary Youth Leadership Program
From Thursday to
Sunday of last week, 10 Mid Island student leaders, and three Rotarians
including me, left home for Tacoma Washington to attend a conference
where they were inspired to make a difference in Third World Countries,
their local communities and also in own lives and the lives of people
around them... <MORE> |
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NDSS KIVA Program
A few weeks ago, Alyse Paquette asked if I could help promote the KIVA
club at her school. She was so excited about what she and her friends
are doing, I wanted to learn more about what they were doing... <MORE> |
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Justin Smith
Justin Smith passed away from acute lymphoma leukaemia nine years ago
when he was in Grade 3 but he was at his high school prom in spirit
along with his parents and his “best buddies”, friends he had known
since preschool... <MORE> |
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Nanaimo Intertact Club
Most weeks I get to spend an hour or two with the Nanaimo Interact Club,
a high school Rotary Club. That time is definitely among the highlights
of my week. These fourteen to seventeen year old students are without
doubt leaders in their school but that’s not where it ends. Most of them
are also active community volunteers while, at the same time, holding
down part time jobs and meeting their family commitments. We adults
could learn a lot about time management from them... <MORE> |
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Anna Bunce
Almost every week when I arrive home from our Interact Club meeting
(high school Rotary Club), the minutes, including a complete “To Do”
list for all members, are on my computer. This happens thanks to Anna
Bunce, our Interact Secretary... <MORE> |
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Sihlengeni High School Interact Club
Today I want to feature some amazing young Hidden Heroes from the
Sihlengeni High School Interact Club (high school Rotary Club) in
Zimbabwe. This is a club Rotarians in Nanaimo have been encouraging for
five years... <MORE> |
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Hero Holiday
Twenty nine Oceanside teenagers have recently returned from a “Hero
Holiday,” a holiday that dramatically changed a village in the Dominican
Republic. Although they were kids with strong leadership abilities
before they left, it changed them too … for the better... <MORE> |
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Kelsey Roden and Kyle Roux
This is a story about a few individual Hidden Heroes and a school full
of them. It’s also about correcting a false impression of an entire
student body... <MORE> |
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Elise Samson
Every so often I choose to focus a high percentage of these columns on
teenagers. It’s my way of driving home the point that our future is in
good hands. There are many more exceptionally positive teenagers in our
high schools today than there are exceptionally negative ones; the ones
that tend to get most of the publicity. Our high schools are also
populated by thousands of “average” teenagers, young people who will
make positive contributions to our society as adults, something like you
and I have tried to do... <MORE> |
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Mandeep Jaswall and Alita Dansey
I met Alita Dansey and Mandeep Jaswall last March when they were two of
eight Grade 11 students I accompanied to the Rotary Youth Leadership
Assembly in Tacoma, Washington. In time I may well end up writing
columns about each of the other students as well because they are all
Hidden Heroes, ordinary students who are definitely making a difference
in their school and in their community...
<MORE> |
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Andra Nadeau Jakabson
I first met Andra Nadeau Jakabson at the 2005 Relay for Life when she
stepped forward and had her head shaved to raise money for Cancer. It
was obvious, by the way she carried herself that this girl is a student
who is going to make a difference in this world, a true leader... <MORE> |
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Meghan Hall
Last fall I wrote a column about our Nanaimo Interact Club (student
Rotary Club) and their amazing Your Move Campaign that raised money and
awareness for AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe...
<MORE> |
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John Barsby Pen Pals
Last summer I received letters from 20 or so students at Sihlengeni High
School in Zimbabwe. They were looking for pen pals here in Canada. Early
in September I dropped them off for Shelley Beleznay at John Barsby
Community School. She chose to give them to one of her Grade 10
classes, an intensive reading and writing class that prepares students
for the Grade 10 provincial English exam...
<MORE> |
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Rotary Interact Club
I tried to write today’s column on another topic because I have already
written about the Rotary Interact Club, a new high school Rotary Club;
however, what these kids have achieved over the past few months, and the
Hidden Heroes that pitched in to help them, needs to be acknowledged
again... <MORE> |
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John Barsby Life Skills Class
The Life Skills class at John Barsby Community School runs a Snack Shack
selling chips, pop and candy at lunch time and before and after school.
Each week they make a tidy little profit from their enterprise...
<MORE> |
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Dalai Lama
I had the pleasure of covering last Fridays “Nurturing Compassion”
dialogue between selected BC teenagers and the Dalai Lama. The students
that participated were chosen from hundreds who had written about times
they or others they know had done something they felt would qualify as a
“compassionate act”... <MORE> |
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Nanaimo Blues Festival Society
As well as providing four weekends of exceptional entertainment at
Harbourfront Plaza through August, the Nanaimo Blues Festival Society
has given birth to dozens of Hidden Heroes... <MORE> |
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Junior Mthembu
Last week’s column acknowledged local Rotary Clubs and individuals who
have been paying school fees and providing a monthly food allotment for
AIDS orphans at Sihlengeni High School in Zimbabwe... <MORE> |
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AIDS orphans at Sihlengeni High School - Zimbabwe
A number of readers of this column as well as the North, Downtown and
Daybreak Rotary Clubs and many friends of mine are Hidden Heroes to
fifteen AIDS orphans at Sihlengeni High School in Zimbabwe (the school I
worked at in 2002 and 2005). For the past two years these people have
paid school fees and provided a monthly food allotment for these
orphans... <MORE> |
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Rotary Youth Leadership Assembly
Regular readers will remember a column I wrote last March about eight
teenagers I took to the Rotary Youth Leadership Assembly in Tacoma,
Washington. When I showed them my PowerPoint presentation on the AIDS
orphans at Sihlengeni High School in Zimbabwe, they enthusiastically
agreed that they wanted to do something to help... <MORE> |
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Jen Schaper
Jen Schaper is a student who wants to assure you that the negative image
some people have about John Barsby Secondary School is a stereotype that
should have been left behind years ago...
<MORE> |
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Crisis Pregnancy Centre of Nanaimo
Four Grade 10 students from Woodlands Secondary School will be donating
$5,000 to the Crisis Pregnancy Centre of Nanaimo this week, thanks to
the Toskan Foundation's Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI)
program... <MORE>
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Rotary Youth Leadership Assembly
I spent the last four days hanging out with 122 remarkable teenagers and
I'm so pumped, I feel like a teenager myself. Roughly half of these
teens were from Vancouver Island and the other half from Washington
State. We were attending the Rotary Youth Leadership Assembly (RYLA) at
Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma... <MORE> |
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Kyle Roux
Today's teens get a bad rap... <MORE> |
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Kevin Kocher
For several years after he graduated from Dover Bay Secondary School,
Kevin Kocher found the One Stop Youth Centre at NYSA (Nanaimo Youth
Services Association) a helpful support. Now, as manager of Moka Only,
he's found a way to pay them back... <MORE> |
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Georgia Avenue Community School Hidden Heroes
Last week I spent part of an afternoon in Chris Pagan's Grade 6 class at
Georgia Avenue Community School. Chris created an exciting Hidden Heroes
project where he had his students find their own real-life Hidden Hero
and then turn them into a Super Hero and tell their story in comic book
style. The results were awesome...
<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> |
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Georgia Avenue Community School Hidden Heroes
Last week I spent part of an afternoon in Chris Pagan's Grade 6 class at
Georgia Avenue Community School. Chris created an exciting Hidden Heroes
project where he had his students find their own real-life Hidden Hero
and then turn them into a Super Hero and tell their story in comic book
style. The results were awesome...
<MORE> |
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Thande Iwenkosi Ngwenja
I've started gathering Neighbourhood Heroes stories from students here
in Zimbabwe. Of course I've spoken to students at Sihlengeni High School
where I have been working on a Rotary project to install new computer
and science labs... <MORE> |
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Valerie Rowell
Six years ago as Christmas approached, twelve year-old Valerie Rowell's
parents asked what she would like for a present. You'd expect most
twelve year-olds to ask for clothes or perhaps jewellery, sports
equipment, or computer games, but not this girl. She wanted to adopt a
child in Africa... <MORE> |
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Michelle Fries
I got a call recently from Joyce Mitchell, a counselor at NDSS, asking
if I would drop by the school to talk with Michelle Fries, a Grade 10
student who is very interested in Africa. (Regular readers may know that
I will be returning to Zimbabwe soon after Christmas to continue working
on a rural school project.)... <MORE> |
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Harewood's Hidden Heroes Wall of Fame
Last Wednesday afternoon the South Side Teen Club, part of the Fifth
Street Boys and Girls club, was crowded wall to wall with Neighbourhood
Heroes and their friends... <MORE> |
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Courtenay Crucil and Tory Nash
Last week I received the following email from Mary Lynn Epps, a newly
appointed Vice Principal at Dover Bay Secondary School.
"Recently, I had the opportunity to accompany a group of
approximately 45 students, from Dover Bay's Student Council, on an
overnight retreat at Camp Quanoes in Croften. Here, I witnessed a group
of teens that demonstrated the kind of superior leadership skills found
in every Neighbourhood Hero...
<MORE> |
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WorldSmart
I found myself surrounded by more than 200 Neighbourhood Heroes last
Saturday.
Eighty-four of these "heroes" were WorldSmart -- formerly known as Up
With People -- students. The other hundred plus were Nanaimo Host
Parents who had offered accommodation and support; people who all say
they received much more than they gave; people without whom, this
remarkable program could not exist...
<MORE> |
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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> |
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Alicia MacLeod and Danica Keating
Alicia MacLeod and Danica Keating could have spent the summer sleeping
in and hanging out with friends, but they chose a different path; they
chose to work as volunteers in the Rec and Reading Programs held at
Quarterway and Uplands Park Elementary Schools, programs initiated by
former Neighbourhood Hero, Terri Mack...
<MORE> |
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Shelly Beleznay and John Barsby Students
As I said a few weeks ago in a column focusing on Coach Rob Stevenson,
good things are happening at John Barsby Secondary, really good
things... <MORE> |
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Rob Stevenson
Great things are happening at John Barsby Secondary School. The Chef's
Program is second to none, the school-wide literacy program is beginning
to pay huge dividends and the Barsby Bulldogs football program is
nothing short of amazing... <MORE> |
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Kayla Stennes
"I think Kayla is a wonderful example of modern youth. She is active,
involved and committed to her community and her peers..." <MORE> |
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Dover Bay Leadership 12 Class
Mrs. Harrison's Grade 12 Leadership class spent time this year finding
and writing about Neighbourhood Heroes. Aviva Stein-Wotten and Laura
Fedoruk wrote about two of their peers... <MORE> |
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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> |
| Bill Preston's Class
Two Grade 7 classes at
Georgia Avenue Community School have recently completed the "Be A Secret
Hidden Hero In Your Own Family" exercise, part of our Hidden Heroes
WebQuest... <MORE> |
| Nanaimo Youth Partnership Program
"You can't
put that many great people into one room without something good
happening."
That's what I kept saying as we were preparing for our first
Neighbourhood Heroes party last January and now I know of at least one
of those "good" things... <MORE> |
| Jordan Gregoire
A lot of folks have probably
chosen to avoid meeting Trevor Dickinson and Jordan Gregoire just
because of the way they look. If you are one of those people, you've
missed a lot... <MORE> |
| NDSS Leadership Class 2004
Over the past month or
so, a high percentage of these columns have been about teenage
Neighbourhood Heroes. My goal is to help more of us realize that there
are a lot more teenage Neighbourhood Heroes than neighbourhood crooks
even though it's the "crooks" that get most of the publicity... <MORE> |
| Linda Bui, Kim Benson and Kristin Melstead
Last
year the Lions Club sponsored a student essay contest. Linda Bui was one
of three winners. She won $250 from the Lions and the Lions unleashed a
tiger... <MORE> |
| James Saunders and Tyler Boe
Seven or eight weeks
ago Dover Bay Grade 12 students, James Saunders and Tyler Boe, came up
with an idea that would soon create an avalanche, not a back country
mountain avalanche but an idea that within weeks would begin to gather a
growing number of other students that would see their vision and join in
to help make it happen... <MORE> |
| Lindsay Campbell
Over the past five years I have
met more than 2,000 teenagers in School District # 68 and I've concluded
that only a very few are "challenging", many are brilliant and most are
simply good, solid, everyday citizens like you and me... <MORE> |
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Andrea Philip
I've spent a lot of time delivering various
programs to both primary and secondary students over the past four or
five years and I've learned that the majority of today's young people
are being given a bad rap by far too many adults... <MORE> |
| Sara Bonnell
It had been twelve years since
eighteen-year-old Sara Bonnell had seen her aunt Alison and her cousin
Antony Donaghey so last August, she took a long bus ride and came for a
visit - She's still here... <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> |
| Dover Bay Secondary School Leadership Class
Laura
Harrison, a teacher at Dover Bay Secondary School recently presented her
class with a Neighbourhood Heroes certificate that read, "I nominated
this Grade 11/12 Leadership class (first ever at Dover Bay) because of
their incredible gift to inspire others through their hard work, smiles
and sincerity. They are truly making a difference in our school and
community as they "Spread The Love" each and every day. These amazing
students have demonstrated that they have the desire and the power to
lead the way by setting a positive example for others..." <MORE> |
| Peer Helpers - NDSS
We live in a special place.
I've never seen a community so quick to come together to help others in
need and then, at Christmas time, we outdo ourselves. Working alone or
in small groups, thousands of people of all ages find some way to make
Christmas better for those in need...
<MORE> |
| Kristen Robinson
As a teenager, Kristen's only
interests were music, partying and preparing for the next party ... oh,
and boys of course...
<MORE> |
| Darcie Pineo
In a way this column is about a
former Neighbourhood Hero, Bill Pineo, but mainly, it's about his great
granddaughter, Darcie Pineo, who took the time to write the letter that
fills most of this column... <MORE> |
| Chris Niewiadomski
Regular readers of this column
will remember that we featured the SuperPages Make It Real
Essay/Scholarship Contest when it was first announced last March and we
named SuperPages our first ever, corporate Neighbourhood Hero for coming
up with this powerful, community-based, win/win project... <MORE> |
| Charlene Prott
Fifteen-year-old Charlene Prott
doesn't look like your average mechanic but she just might be. She's
already enjoyed a work experience opportunity at a local service station
- "I loved it and I had a great time interacting with the public" - and
she's thinking about signing up with the Secondary School Apprenticeship
program... <MORE> |
| Coal Fuller
Recently I overheard someone saying
that today's teenagers don't have the same work ethic that we had at
that age... <MORE> |
| $5,000 Scholarship Stimulates Student Ideas For
Neighbourhood Hero-Like Projects
Scott Laver, President,
Dominion Information Services, Inc.
Normally the Neighbourhood
Heroes we write about are average, everyday individuals, role models who
put positive ideas into action.
For the first time ever, today's column will feature a not so average,
everyday company, a corporate role model that has put an extraordinary
idea into action... <MORE> |
| Marshall Noir
Recently, for the second year in a
row, I met seventeen high school students - all Neighbourhood Heroes in
my opinion, students who were nominated by their teachers as potential
delegates to a four-day Rotary youth leadership conference...
<MORE> |
| Ember McQuirter
17 year-old Ember McQuirter
stretches our definition of a Neighbourhood Hero... <MORE> |
| Ron Ewing
Two years ago when Ron Ewing graduated
from high school, he bought himself a truck as a graduation present ...
and paid cash... <MORE> |
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Rachel Smith
Have you ever had anyone believe in you, make
you feel good, build your confidence and really care? That was the
question Val Neaves asked on the first line of her nomination form when
she nominated Rachel Smith as her Neighbourhood Hero... <MORE> |
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Bruce Anderson
A year ago, Bruce Anderson was anything but a
Neighbourhood Hero. Today he definitely is one. Leslie McWhinnie, one of
his teachers at NDSS says so... <MORE> |
