This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. What does it mean to be part of a community? What is a community anyway? Why does it matter?
The longer I live here in Ottawa I realize that it’s more than just houses on a street, it’s more than roads and schools and stoplights and stores. It’s about people. Without people there can be no community, and more importantly, a community needs people to help make the place we live and raise our families better, healthier, safer, and friendlier. Ottawa has a lot of those people. We are lucky.
Last night I had the privilege of attending the United Way’s 10th annual Community Builder of the Year Awards Gala, along with Ottawa blogging-slash-social media luminaries Susan Murphy and Bob LeDrew. I was thrilled to be asked to check it out. Events like this are so important. Not only is it critical that we pat ourselves on the back every once in awhile and recognize the great things that people are doing, but interestingly enough, these kind of events also inspire and invigorate. They’re fuel for the fire and remind us that we are capable of great things.
(As a sidebar, did you know that no donor dollars are used to fund the gala? The money all comes from sponsorships. The businesses in our community really know how to step up to the plate. Amazing.)
Susan and I were seated at the same table. We made quite the pair, heads down and fingers flying over our iPhones. “We’re live-tweeting,” I said apologetically, hoping our tablemates knew what I was talking about.
But honestly, there was much too much to tweet. And anyone following the #cba Twitter stream would have seen big gaps in my chatter. How can so many deeply inspiring stories be slashed down into 140-character messages?
There were so many great moments. I can’t even pick a favourite:
- The Community Builder of the Year award was given to Ottawa Police Chief Vern White. The United Way Ottawa Volunteer of the Year Award was given to Dennis Jackson. These two people are truly outstanding members of our community.
- Natalie Gervais was named United Way Ottawa Ambassador of the Year. This young lady was confident and well-spoken. She held her head high and had a big smile on her face. Her speech was very moving. She’s come so far in her young life … hers is a story of drugs and addiction that was heartbreaking to hear, especially as a mother of two girls (but it’s also important to know these stories too, you know what I mean? We cannot sweep them under the carpet and pretend they don’t exist. They do.)
- The Growing up Great award was given to the Youth Services Bureau. I’ve seen first-hand all of the great things they do for the young people in this community. They are working hard to give troubled youth the tools they need to succeed. (Three cheers for Alex Munter, the Executive Director of the YSB. He is incredible. Would it be lame to describe him as a dynamo? I hope not. He is a dynamo.)
- Max Keeping was re-awarded his Community Builder Award from 2004 because his other one had been lost in the devastating fire at the CTV Ottawa studios on Merivale Road. I found myself welling up a bit at this point. It was so thoughtful.
- The Turning Lives Around award was given to a group named Together for Vanier. They are an amazing example of the power of people. They are changing their neighborhood and truly making it a better place to live.
You can read more about the event and the other award winners here.
To hear all these people’s stories, their devotion and their passion, was truly inspiring.
The idea of the power of one comes back to me time after time, not just during last night’s event, but all the time. We often feel small in this world of ours and the issues we’re dealing with seem so big. It’s so easy to become isolated in our own problems – whatever they may be – and forget that there are other people out there who need help.
But one person? One person can accomplish a lot, and we forget that.
I am fascinated to hear about what drives these people. Police Chief Vern White said he needs to pinch himself in the mornings, he feels so lucky to be doing what he’s doing.
I was talking to Stacey Diffin-Lafleur, United Way’s Director of Marketing, about this the other day. I asked why some people do what they do. She turned the question back to me, knowing I do volunteer work as well. Why do you do it, she asked. (She’s smart that way!)
The answer might be different for everyone but volunteer because:
… it feels good.
… it’s the right thing to do.
… we need to give back.
… we need to help one another.
… of the power of one.
I’m still overwhelmed by it all, can you tell? It was a great evening on so many levels. I’m still bubbling.
