Last night, Mark and I had the pleasure of attending the 19th annual United Way Community Builder of the Year Awards Gala at the Shaw Centre. I’ve been a few times and it’s always a great event. Good food, good chatting, and of course, a chance to learn about some of the people and the organizations who are doing such great work in Ottawa. There is always a person or a group I have never heard about introduced during the presentation part of the evening. When this happens it almost always unfolds the same way in my brain. I get their back story and I think, YES. WOW. PEOPLE DOING GOOD. Sometimes I feel myself welling up and I remember I didn’t bring a hankie.
The gala was – and is – the perfect antidote to all the dreary news we’re bombarded with all day long. It’s so uplifting to meet people – regular people – who are making a positive change in other people’s lives, right here in the city we live in, and making it a better place for everyone. Honestly, it did my heart good. I overfloweth, hankie issue notwithstanding.
I hope you take a minute to read more about the award recipients on the United Way Ottawa website. They are inspiring, innovative, and giving, and I applaud them. If you ever have the chance to attend the Community Builder of the Year Awards gala, you should go, because it might change you (in a good way)!
And speaking of people who are making this city great, I have some news to share soon about Cornerstone Housing for Women. Stay tuned for that!
