You know I had the opportunity to read over the application which Jonathan Rudin sent in on my behalf and funny enoughYYafter reading it I kind of sat back and really had to think twice before I realized that damnY.I look good on paper. Thank you Jonathan.

the Y holds many fond and dear memories for me. It was a place which gave me a feeling of belonging. However, more important than myself, the Y touched my brother=s life in a profound way.

Through the years Mr. Scott became John=s friend, mentor and father figure who was always there to see John through school and onto university and eventually to become a teacher and then later a principal of a high school. I believe John would never have become the man he is today without the help of the Y.

I am deeply honoured to have even been considered for this award. So honoured in fact, that when I look around and recognize many of my colleagues, people whom I have worked and shared experiences with; people who have contributed above and beyond the call of duty to benefit the welfare of a single individualY..I am truly moved and touched that my actions, you have chosen to applaud. But more than the people that I see, what comes first to my mind are the people who are no longer here to walk with me on this journey any longer.

ButYYY. to be honest with you, my greatest inspiration has been the clients themselves. Many of whom have been considered beneath the social standards in this world but have all taught me lessons for which I will forever be grateful. The hours that I have spent trying to reach these people on a personal level can never be counted but what I would like to say to them is that it was their time too! I came to not only care for many of my clients but learned to respect them on a deeper level that I am still in wonder of today. Some of these people no longer walk with us but there are days I can still hear them:

Herbie Dokas, Butch Armstrong, Sundance, Laura Lee Taylor, Lisa Sinclair and the list goes onYY

I truly believe that some people would wonder why I stand here to receive this award and why I have ever believed in the people I have worked with. The answer to that question is simple. My own background is questionable. Always termed undesirable and unwanted in a society that did not have a Afit@ for me, I have always been searching.

From my earliest recollections, I was always led to believe that I was not worthy of anything in life. I was Native, a product of children=s aid. Bounced around from convents, foster homes and various other living conditions I can always hear the voice of my principal when I was in grade 5YY.a child of 10 years old YY..telling me that they would not waste their time on my education because I would only turn out to be a prostitute and drug addict by 14.

We do an injustice when we put a dollar sign on a child=s education. You see, one of my greatest motivators to help someone in need is that one dayYY.any dayYY..a baby is born, a small innocent child. That child grows and takes on a turmoil that only they can feel and only they can fight. It is this child that I help because I have always believed that if I helped out someone=s child that one day someone might help my child .

There is no big mystery as to why I took the time and I will never regret the time I have taken. Although, some of those sleepless night going from St. Joe=s to Spirit of the People I might want back .

Six months laterY..the rent was paid and I got a pay cheque.

I am so proud of the hours we have spent tryingYY..I won=t even qualify that YY.trying says it all.

As I said before no one accomplishes anything aloneYYand without the aid and support of the chaplaincy throughout the Toronto detention centres Spirit of the People would not have been possible. Reverend Boom now of the Toronto Assessment Centre for Youth in Mimico and Reverend Michael Peaceful of the East Detention Centre have worked and believed in what I was trying to accomplish and along with the tireless efforts of the probation and parole officers such as Marg Warren, Kelly Tuovine and Steve Solomon along with so many more they would throw me off the stage before I could finish my list of people who need to be recognized .

I have always felt a deep bond with the homeless and the street people of this city. One of things that really bothers me and for those of you who know me, the list is endless on what bothers me, but anyway, I use to watch the general public just walk by the homeless and never bother to see if they were dead or alive. A group of us felt somebody needs to check. So we organized ourselves and would meet at Anishnawbe Health on Queen and Bathurst and 20 of us would get into one car, along with the coffee, sandwiches, blankets and trek out behind City Hall, Union Station and any underground parking lot we could find. Thinking we would be out for 2 or 3 hours often we were still out there at 2 and 3 o=clock in the morning. I think of those days and now as I see the vans, the workers, the shelters and to think this has grown from those first few people and one car. Things are better we are winning, one person at a time.

All of these things that have happened are born out of a need. Housing is an on going issue and Nishnawbe Homes began as a dream which was to be a start up a place for people to live while they got their life in order. Once your addiction was firmly taken in hand Nishnawbe Homes would be there to provide a stable environment for you to live. I remember the day we closed the deal on our first Nishnawbe home, it was pouring rain, I was on my bicycle, trying to get to workY.you know that place that gives you a pay cheque so you can try and do all these other thingsYYY..I said I would meet them at the corner of Bloor and Roncesvalles, the poor real estate man had to get out of his car and through the rain we signed the paperwork . I am so proud to look at Nishnawbe Homes today in the qualified hands of Frances Sanderson, thank you Frances I know you will take Nishnawbe Homes to greater heights.

Standing here tonight and reminiscing about the people and some of the work that has been accomplished makes me realize that you know you are doing it for the people when you actually forget some of the events that have happened. You know my own reputation in this community has beenYYhow can I say thisYYYY..not always been on level ground. Truth be told I have actually been fired from a couple of agencies but not because I did not do the job but mainly because we had a fundamental difference in ethics. But standing here now and looking out at some of you, our hearts have always been in the right place.

The hours, the bonds, the good and bad times that envelop my world have not gone unrewarded. The ex-con that gives you their wordYYan inmate who has been segregated for weeks and you finally get to talk to them, watching someone earn their one year sobriety, listening to the joy in someone=s voice who just got a job, found a place to live or reconciled with a parent, child or sibling. And there is no greater reward than to see a young mother get her children back and bring them to their new home. This can never be measured.