by Alfred Lam on October 27, 2009 · 1 comment
Over the last year or so our agency had worked hard to try and save our funding from the Town of Richmond Hill. Last night we presented our case to Town Council and hoped we can change their minds.
In the days leading up to last night, the situation had generated quite a bit of momentum. People wrote letters to Council in support of us, they called us to ask what they can do. Between that and our regular “business”, the phones had been ringing non-stop. I have been doing interview after interview with newspaper and TV to try to get our message out to the public.
Last night, at the meeting, quite a large number of our supporters were there, and 17 of them registered to speak. As new Canadians, it was not an easy task for them. In addition to the language challenge, many of them came from countries where they were not allowed to have a voice. It must have been such an intidimating experiece for some of them to stand up in Council Chambers to make their views known. I was encouraged to hear their stories and how our agency had helped them in their time of great need.
In the end, we were told that Council had made up their minds two years ago and nothing anyone said last night made a difference. As we filed out of the Chambers following the decision, I saw the disappointment on many of their faces. It occured to me then that there was a greater casualty last night other than our funding: For the people who spoke last night, they came in believing that in Canada, their voice count and can make a difference. Instead, they were told plainly that it didn’t matter if they had shown up at all.
Last night we lost something far more valuable than the small amount of funding we were hoping to get. In the minds and hearts of the many new Canadians who came out, they lost their vision of how things are supposed to work in Canada, their new homeland.
by Alfred Lam on October 18, 2009 · 1 comment
Last week was an exhausting week for everyone at the office. After the Town Council handed down their decision to discontinue our funding by the end of this year, the office went into overdrive to try any means possible to get the decision reversed. Everyone knew that we were facing a steep climb and long odds. But it didn’t seem to matter. We believe in the work that we do, and we will give it our all until there’s absolutely nothing left to try and no one left to call on.
I was sitting in my office, in between emails and phone calls. I was exhausted. I reached for my phone and typed a text message to Anna: “It seems like everywhere I turn in my life I am facing a battle. I’m tired of fighting…” After I sent the message, I said to myself, “I need a miracle…”
Just then someone came to see me unannounced. It was a young Iranian woman. After introducing herself, she told me that she’s heard of our funding battles in the news, and wanted to come by to tell me something. She then went on to tell me an incredible story…
She came to Canada about 2 years ago, with no job, and no idea what she could do. Someone told her about Helpmate (our agency) and that we have a specialized program to place new immigrants into volunteering opportunities to help them gain Canadian experience, build their social networking and improve their English. She came to us, and apparently we placed her at a Senior’s home to volunteer. Day in and day out she faithfully went, spending hours at a time reading and talking to the Seniors, many of them never said a word in return.
One day, as she was reading to a Senior lady, who has not spoken a word for more than 7 years, suddenly she turned, and said to our young volunteer: “Please…I am thirsty…” Everyone stopped what they were doing. It was like the whole place grounded to a halt. You could’ve heard a pin drop.
The young volunteer’s work was recognized and commended by the Mayor of Toronto. She built from that experience and today she is in medical school, training to become a doctor. She said to me, “I just wanted to come and tell you, it all started with what you guys do here at Helpmate.”
After she left, it occured to me that life is a daily miracle. Every day, every where God becomes flesh and walks in our midst. But “He came to his own people, but they did not want him.”
I have no idea what will happen with Helpmate going forward as far as our funding goes. But as I sat and waited for a miracle, I was reminded that for that young woman from Iran, we were a part of her miracle. Perhaps when it comes down to it, that’s what I sign up for, not to sit and wait for miracles to come my way, but to find ways to become a part of other people’s miracles, day in, day out.
