Mrs. Melvina Sullivan, Everyday Hero

This is a portrait of my mother. She was not a famous person, not well known even, and fairly typical of her time and place. For the most part, she did what was expected of her, sometimes a little less. She was a baker of bread, cookies, and pies.  She was a canner of berries, pickles, and jelly. She cleaned, cooked, gardened, tended livestock, and raised children. You might wonder, "Where is the heroism in all of that?" I would argue that my mother, like most rural women of her day, lived her ordinary life with great courage and strength.

Melvina "Vina" Sullivan was born Helena Melvina Phelan on February 12, 1925 in Morell, Prince Edward Island, the second youngest of twelve children. Her father Ambrose, a farmer, was the son of Irish Catholics. Her mother Melvina Stewart came from a long line of Scottish Protestants, a North American lineage that stretched back to some of the earliest settlers in New England, specifically to the Society of Friends (Quakers) in Nantucket.

Vina's early years would have been difficult. She was just 2 years old when her mother died from childbirth, leaving 8 boys and 3 girls in the care of their father, the youngest child having died along with his mother. Despite the sadness of her mother's absence and the grinding poverty of the 1930's, my mother talked about her childhood as if it were an adventure. She went barefoot all summer. She picked buckets full of blueberries along the railway tracks and sold them for a penny. She attended a one-room school where they used lead pencils and slates. She travelled for miles on foot, by horse and buggy, or by horse and sleigh.

By the time World War II began in 1939, my mother Vina was 14 years old. Most of her elder siblings were already grown and gone, and she had recently left school to look after her father's household. At age 16, Vina travelled to Charlottetown for the first time, a journey of 25 miles. She ate her very first orange. From there, she travelled on to Montreal to work as a nanny. She must have felt very lonely and out of place in this rich urban household. She did not remember the experience fondly.

Happier days awaited her in Toronto, where she joined her elder sisters Mary and Evelyn. It was 1942. Mary had a young and growing family, and Evelyn was newly-wed with a husband at war overseas. Vina settled in amongst her extended family and got a job in a factory.

By the time WWII ended in 1945, Vina was back in Prince Edward Island rooming with a girlfriend in Charlottetown. Now age 20, Vina was an apprentice hair dresser. Her early 20s appear to have been happy, filled with friends, dates, and dances.

In 1950, Vina met and married a farmer from Glenfinnan, Prince Edward Island, a rural community 10 miles from Charlottetown. My father, JD MacDonald, was part of a large extended family, whose ancestors had emigrated from Scotland's west coast in the late 1700's. They were proud Scots, and proud Catholics. The young couple set up house about 50 yards from JD's parent's home. Together they tended a large farm with about 20 dairy cattle, 15 beef cattle, and over 1000 poultry. Vina worked very hard. After 15 years had passed, their 2 bedroom household was bursting with 5 children (4 girls and 1 boy), one farmhand, and one married couple approaching middle-age.

Vina was 40 years old in June of 1965 when her husband JD was killed in an automobile accident. He died instantly. At the time, Vina's 5 children ranged in age from 14 years to 1 year. Everyone would have understood if she had fallen apart from shock and grief, but she didn’t. Vina spoke of how she had been able to accept her husband’s death as if this acceptance were a gift, a gift that allowed her to get on with the business of living. She had the support of an incredible rural community. Both she and JD had been very active in community affairs: Vina in the Catholic Women’s League and Home and School and JD in the School Board, Farmers’ Cooperative and Knights of Columbus.  Family, friends, and neighbours rallied around Vina and her children. They were very generous with their time and effort in the months and years that followed.

Vina was a single mother from 1965 to 1970. She moved her young family off the farm. They settled 3 miles away in Johnson’s River. Vina established a hairdressing business in their basement. There was a Clover Farm across the road, a Catholic Church next door, and lots of neighbours within walking distance. Vina didn’t drive so all of this was much more than convenience. (Eventually Vina got her driver’s license, in 1970 at age 45.)

New Year’s Eve of 1969 marked the beginning of a new chapter in Vina’s life. She agreed to let her friends arrange a date for her that evening with Peter Sullivan, a well respected widower with 7 young children of his own (4 boys and 3 girls). Peter had a good job with the federal government in Charlottetown, and lived about 4 miles away in the community of Southport. Vina and Peter began a courtship in the early days of 1970. Six months later they were married in a quiet early morning ceremony.  All 12 of their children were in attendance.

Wedding Breakfast, July 1970. Mr. and Mrs. Peter Sullivan and their 12 children.

At this point in Vina’s story, it’s difficult to separate her life from Peter’s. They were quite a team! All 12 children lived at home during the first year of their marriage. Vina delegated household chores like washing dishes, cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming, baking biscuits, and peeling vegetables among the children. There was even a schedule on the fridge. Peter did the grocery shopping; dollars were stretched, but meals were nutritious and filling. By the end of 1982, all of their children had graduated from high school. Five had already earned a university degree or technical diploma. Three were married. Vina and Peter were now 57 and 58 years old. They had 4 grandchildren. In another 3 or 4 years, their “nest” would be officially empty.

For the most part, Vina thoroughly enjoyed life in her 60s and 70s. She returned to hairdressing for a time as a hospital volunteer. She completed her grade 11 GED. She travelled on holiday with a friend to the UK and then to Florida. She also travelled to visit her siblings, her children, and her grandchildren. Day-to-day life with Peter was quiet and pleasant. Church was central to them, as were visits with their children and grandchildren, now 19 in number.

Vina and Peter had been married for 32 years when Peter died from illness at the age of 78 (November 2001). By this time, Vina was in the early stages of dementia. Her mental condition would deteriorate significantly over the next 3 years until her sudden death – from natural causes unrelated to dementia– at the age of 79 (November 2004).

Mrs. Melvina Sullivan was an everyday hero who dealt with life as best she could. She raised her children well. She supported her community. Many of us owe what we are today to rural women like my mother, courageous and enduring. Thanks Mom.

Written by by Rosemary MacDonald
Edited by Kristine Scarrow

Published by Catherine Brindley

Joanne Farley - "Never Turn Anyone Away"

With a $5,000 donation and a dream, West Island Citizen was born in 1976 with the idea that a community takes care of its disadvantaged residents with no other reward than the good feeling of a job well done.

Thirty-five years later, the philosophy hasn’t changed but the organization sure has.

Funding has ballooned from the initial $5,000 to more than $500,000 annually and the number of protégés has jumped from 15 matches in its first year to approximately 400 today.

Citizen Advocacy’s conception can be attributed to a Winnipeg conference founder Joanne Farley attended in 1976 where she was inspired by Dr. W. Wolfensberger and his “people helping people” philosophy.

As the parent of an autistic and intellectually challenged son, Joanne had already spent more than 20 years championing the causes of people with intellectual and physical challenges in the West Island of Montreal when she decided to open the first Citizen Advocacy office in Quebec. 

“She was strong, determined and nothing stood in the way of what she wanted,” said Mary Clare Tanguay, Joanne’s daughter and current Director of Citizen Advocacy.

When Paul was born in 1950 and later diagnosed with autism, a term unfamiliar at that time, it pushed her to spend the next four decades creating educational, recreational, and housing programs for the handicapped. 

In addition to helping establish the first special education program in Quebec with the Baldwin Cartier School Board, Joanne sat on the board of the West Island Association for the Intellectually Handicapped and helped raise funds to get the Gary Taylor Centre built.       

If that weren’t enough, she helped establish a summer camp for the intellectually handicapped at Camp  Kinkora and she was involved in the development of the  Lakeshore Vocational Project which provided jobs with local employers for the intellectually handicapped. 

In 1985 WICA launched a housing project called the Church Apartment Program designed to provide supervised housing for people experiencing mental health problems.  CAP provides shelter for 42 residents in the community as well as in two apartment complexes called Heron House and Farley House. 

The primary mandate is to recruit, screen, match and follow up volunteers with disadvantaged people in the community.  It could include the intellectually and physically challenged, people experiencing mental health problems, and seniors.

Mrs. Farley’s philanthropic efforts have not gone unnoticed.  She was awarded the Order of Canada in 2004, which was hand-delivered to her Pointe-Claire residence by then-Governor General Adrienne Clarkson.

“It was her philosophy to never turn anyone away,” said Mary Clare.

That philosophy has carried Citizen Advocacy into the year 2011 and counts almost 400 active matches, 350 volunteer advocates and almost 500 protégés.  

Written by Marla Newhook
Edited by Lucinda Atwood

Published by Catherine Brindley

Love Koduah - Fueled by Passion

In 1976 Love Koduah left her native country of Ghana for a better life in Canada. Life was not easy when she first arrived. Her degree in psychology and years of teaching elementary school back home did not lead to many career options in Canada. Having to support herself and her daughter, Love took up factory jobs making as little as $2.35 an hour at times.   

Ten years after she first arrived and fueled by her passion to help people, Love went back to school. Love attended George Brown College and earned both a Community Service Worker and Human Services Counsellor Diploma. She graduated with honours in both programs. “My past experience and maturity really helped me to excel,” she says. Yet it wasn’t easy getting a job after graduation. “Peers that looked to me for help during school were getting jobs before I was.”

Refusing to be discouraged, Love volunteered and took contract work wherever she could find it. Love became Chairperson of the Firgrove Resident Association in Toronto. The Organization worked in conjunction with the Jane and Finch Community Ministry to help community members get in touch with needed resources. The operation was funded by the United Church of Canada. Love’s hard work and perseverance paid off when she started to land several jobs in her field. One of her first jobs was at the Black Creek Community Health Centre where she was contracted to co-ordinate parenting workshops.

 In 1996 Love joined the Rexdale Women’s Centre as a Multicultural Settlement Worker.  As a settlement worker, Love aids newcomers and immigrants in getting in touch with needed resources such as employment information, housing, child care, English and legal services. Her work has also enabled her to aid in community workshops such as ‘Eating for two’ that provides prenatal care and nutritional information to expectant mothers.

Love Koduah has been recognized with several awards throughout her career. In 1995 she won the New Pioneers. The honour is given out by the city of Toronto in celebration of the achievements of immigrants and refugees. Love has also received the Black History Award from the City of Toronto for community services and was most recently honoured with the Ghanaian Women’s Courage Award in 2010.  Love Koduah still works at the Rexdale Women’s Centre and says the best part of her job is helping people become independent. “Sometimes just listening to people and what they have to say helps a lot,” she says. 

The hardest part of her job she says is getting people to release personal information. “In order to keep getting government funding for our programs and workshops we have to collect private information which people are usually afraid or hesitant to give out.”

And how did being a Black female immigrant affect her Canadian experience? “It didn’t make it easier and I don’t think it made it harder. I’m just glad that I can help people no matter if they’re a newcomer or have lived in Canada all their lives. No one is ever turned away.” Love’s other accomplishments include residing as the Queen of the Ashanti Multicultural Association in Toronto (1994-2001) as well as co-founder of the High Society Ghanaian Women’s Group.

Written by Natalie Frimpong
Edited by Kristine Scarrow

Published by Catherine Brindley

Dancing with Horses by the Sea - Kim Levy

Tucked away in Lockeport, Nova Scotia, in an area where people haven’t forgotten how to be human, lives a woman and her destiny.

Although she was unaware of it at the time, Kim Levy’s destiny began in Ottawa, on her Grandmother’s farm, where she was born and raised.

Kim had an innate curiosity about animals and their behaviour. Some things can be tamed; a child’s curiosity cannot. Kim recalls that no sooner could she walk than she was on the back of a horse. She continues to hone her skills with horses.

Kim is a Classical Dressage Horse Trainer, Animal Behaviourist, and creator of Dancing with Horses by the Sea, a powerful therapeutic program that helps people through the orchestrated combination of horse riding and music.

This therapy was designed for all ages: children as young as 6; teens struggling with the stresses of modern adolescence; adults trying to find their way, and the elderly who may have lost their zest for life. For children who have been bullied, the program can help restore their confidence that has been stripped away. For everyone, the program is designed to help access their own power and essence.

Kim was first introduced to riding lessons at Dwyer Hill Horse Farm. She won the Ontario Equestrian Federation President’s Award in 2008. In 2010, after a process that took many years, Kim completed the Josh Lyons Accreditation Program, earning her buckle. Kim also plays polo, and had the distinct opportunity of training with Memo Gracida, a Mexican polo player, who has 16 US Open victories to his credit.

Kim’s passion for horsemanship led to the development of a horse ranch in Ontario. It was here, Kim says, that her destiny literally called her on the phone. An individual from the Lanark Therapeutic Riding Program, a program developed to safely allow children who are physically or mentally handicapped to experience the healing power of riding a horse, called Kim and asked if the program could continue in an arena on her ranch.

In her heart, Kim was committed, but she wanted to ask her husband if he would agree to the program being held at their arena. Still emotional over that pivotal moment, Kim recalls her husband’s reply, “Of course,” he said, “you’re not going to charge them are you,” he asked?

Kim would go to the arena and watch the young riders, with a volunteer at the reins and two others flanked at the horse’s side to ensure the child’s safety. Horse training aims for perfection. To Kim Levy, watching this program unfold was perfection.

The second year the program ran, she got a call from an organization committed to drug rehabilitation, who wanted to use her arena for one week. Her first thought was No, but she changed her mind and agreed to rent the arena. To her surprise the program was comprised of youth who were no longer on drugs and who were on a step by step program. The therapeutic riding was one of the last stages before the youth returned to the real world and to their families.

Being able to understand a horse’s personality based on its roughly 15 natural instincts requires a competence that comes with intense learning; learning that can only be spurred by an individual’s true passion for horsemanship. The capability to manipulate those behaviours to human advantage makes for an excellent horse trainer. During the programs at her arena, Kim used her aptitude to pair the right horse with the right youth for optimum riding therapy.

Kim and her husband made the decision to sell their farm in Ontario and look for a location to build their dream. After careful consideration, the couple purchased a 100 year old saltwater farm in Lockport, Nova Scotia. Where once there was pasture, the land was now scrubby and wild again.

The challenges, there were many. They had cedar logs trucked in from Ontario for the fences. They used native hemlock when they could because it has natural protection against rot. They even purchased a lumber mill to mill the pine for the horse barns. Despite the challenges, “We went for it,” Kim says.

At Dancing with Horses by the Sea, you’ll find Kim, her husband David, and their incredible son Jacob, who Kim contends is her greatest achievement. At 10, Jacob, who is home schooled by Kim, is being considered for the University of PEI’s Summer Vet Camp.

Come witness for yourself the power of horse therapy at Dancing with the Horses by the Sea, where it is clear, some destinies are not chosen, they just are.

Written by Joy Goodwin
Edited by Lucinda Atwood

Published by Catherine Brindley

Denise Doyle: Purpose through Passion

It is the early 1970’s. You can hear women’s voices chanting in unity; you can feel the sisterhood. This is Denise Doyle’s earliest memory – attending her first women’s rights protest with her mother by her side. This fond memory ignited Denise’s passion: women’s rights and advocacy.

Denise is the current CEO of the YWCA Hamilton, which is a women-led service organization that provides health and wellness programs for women, families, seniors and people with special needs. The YWCA Hamilton advocates for the improved status of women locally and through affiliation with YWCA Canada. With 33 member organizations operating in more than 400 districts and communities across the country, the YWCA Canada is the country’s oldest and largest women's multi-service organization. These programs reach out to 1 million women and girls across the country.

Denise’s passion and dedication to the quest of women’s rights fits perfectly with the mission, vision and values of the YWCA. Her work at the YWCA challenges her to be innovative in finding community resources, empowering the staff of the organization and mobilizing her community.

Denise studied Textile Engineering at Mohawk College in 1982 and fifteen years later, went on to study Occupational Health and Safety and Safety Systems in Law at Ryerson University. She pursued further professional development through courses in human resources, anti-racism change work, and governance training. In 2010, Denise was awarded the Agnes Macphail Award for her contributions to the advancement of women and women’s issues. In the same year, she was also awarded the Hamilton-Wentworth Elementary Teachers Award for her tireless work as a community and labour activist. Her passion is contagious, as her efforts continue to inspire others around her.

Denise has volunteered with a number of organizations such as the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, the Status of Women Committee (City of Hamilton), Immigrant Women’s Centre Facilitating Inclusion Program, and Elect More Women. Despite committing so much of her time to various community initiatives, Denise was still able to play a pivotal role in the Elect More Women campaign, a campaign which she helped develop. She is the current co-chair of the Elect More Women campaign and explains that her goal is to see more women participate in politics not only as candidates, but as volunteers on campaigns as well.

Elect More Women provides women with the necessary education, skills and tools required to be active in politics. Denise has a vision to see more women in this arena “at any decision-making table you can make an impact. You just need the skills, resources and awareness to get involved. Women bring a different point of view around the table and it is important that a woman’s perspective is heard from all political parties.” Denise believes that in order to have a healthy democracy, everyone must have an equal voice that will impact the community and country. She emphasizes the importance of encouraging young women, a demographic that is important in making this process successful. To date, Elect More Women has trained over one thousand women.

In thinking about the women of tomorrow, Denise shared a story that truly touched her. It was of a young girl from the YWCA’s Girls Space program, which provides young females with opportunities to participate in group activities focusing on self-esteem, body image and self expression. The program provides a place for these girls to have a voice and become leaders in their own communities. Denise remembers one young girl who joined the program. She was extremely shy and quiet. She was new to Canada and Hamilton. This young girl had come with her family from Pakistan to begin their new lives here. Denise recalls that this young girl did not engage with any young people in the city and was having trouble making friends. The girl’s mother decided to encourage her daughter to join the YWCA Girls Space program. After completing the program, this young girl began to show more confidence and even joined her school council to engage with her classmates and make new friends. This transformation made her mother very proud and she wrote a personal letter to Denise thanking her for helping her daughter which included the wonderful line “Thank you for helping my daughter to finally feel included in Canada.” It is this inclusion, support and friendship that Denise fosters in all of her relationships.

In every role that Denise embraces, her passion is obvious. She focuses on trying to provide young women with a chance to lead and excel in their lives. She believes that her contribution is anything that she can do to assist young women, “They will be there for me when I’m old, so if I can inspire passion – if I can do this, I feel like I’ve done my job.”

Denise has done her job. I have been fortunate enough to be one of the young women that Denise has worked with. She is a true mentor, leader and most of all, a friend. She has provided me with the confidence, knowledge and skills that I will need to continue my journey in advocating for women’s rights.

Denise left with me some words of wisdom which I will always cherish, “Always remember that when a woman’s voice is heard, she can transform her life and those around her. Find your passion and create a wave of change in your own community and empower others to do the same. When someone tells you that all women are equal – acknowledge your privilege and continue to work for women's equity and equality around the globe. We still have a long way to go.”

Although we have a long way to go, these are timeless words for all women, as we are inspired by leaders like Denise to find our purpose through passion.

Written by Priya Verma

Edited by Lucinda Atwood

Published by Catherine Brindley

Beth Sukha-Barker - Yoga for Hope

When you first meet Beth Sukha-Barker, you can’t help but notice an enormous wave of enthusiasm that comes right at you. It makes you wonder if maybe Ghandi is standing directly behind you and he’s the reason she’s so excited, but meet her a second time and you realize this is just how she is. She lives her life with genuine enthusiasm for everyone she encounters.

Beth has spent the majority of her life looking after people. Not everyone has the capacity or patience for that role in life, but in Beth’s case, it is simply who she is. When she graduated from high school she entered the nursing program at Conestoga College. After graduating in 1976, she spent nearly 15 years working at Grand River Hospital in Kitchener.

Like many in the health care field, Beth knew there was more to solving health-related issues than what Western medicine offered. Her curiosity led her to yoga and she began her practice at home in the 1970’s through a daily television program.  She soon recognized the massive health gains yoga offered. Western medicine rarely spoke of things such as mental calmness, stress reduction and deeper breathing as ways to improve our health. As her love of yoga deepened, Beth decided to become a certified yoga instructor and studied at the Kripalu Centre for Yoga and Health in Lennox, MA in 1998. 

Back in Waterloo and eager to begin teaching, she found herself teaching two classes per week at HopeSpring Cancer Support Centre in downtown Waterloo, Ontario.  (http://www.hopespring.ca)  HopeSpring’s name says it all. It is truly a local gem of resources, inspiration and knowledge for those living with cancer in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. HopeSpring provides much needed relief all the while relying on the community’s generosity to fund their programs, since they receive no government assistance or help from the Canadian Cancer Society. 

It was during her weekly yoga class at Hopespring where Beth met a young man named J.R. Despite having recurring brain cancer, JR was, in Beth’s own words, “a ray of sunshine.”

J.R. was defiantly optimistic, despite a worrying prognosis. He returned week after week to Beth’s class and the more they got to know one another, they realized they had common ground in running, a sport they were both passionate about. Running got J.R. through some tough cancer-related battles. He could leave the world of treatment and medications at home when he headed outside for a run. 

With their friendship cemented, J.R. and Beth decided to enter the 1999 Waterloo Classic, a popular local 10 km road race held every year in June. It was after this race that they started talking about how they could take the format of a road race and apply it to yoga, starting a “Yogathon” of sorts.  Back then, there was nothing like their idea in the K-W community and while the concept seemed like a good one, it didn’t happen right away. Three years later, in 2002, JR passed away. His conversations with Beth, however, would soon gain ground and provide a fitting legacy for J.R.

It was September 2004 when, as Beth tells it, she had one too many cups of coffee and that extra caffeine provided the catalyst she needed to pick up the phone and start rallying local yoga instructors, telling them of her idea: a day of yoga with each hour led by a different instructor showcasing a different style of yoga.

Every instructor Beth called that day signed on to the idea with enthusiasm. Five months later, in February 2005, the first Yoga for Hope took place in downtown Waterloo. Everyone gathered together waiting to see what the day would bring. In keeping with the practice itself, Yoga for Hope offers a flexible schedule. Some devotees sign on for the entire day wanting to take part in all eight classes and some people prefer to only to attend one or two classes. The first year was a success! One hundred and twenty people came out to help raise money and bond over poses. Many of the attendees at the first Yoga for Hope had never heard of HopeSpring but the idea of helping out a much needed local institution in such a relaxing and energizing way struck a chord.

And, as with all good ideas, people start to emulate you. The idea caught the attention of a few yoga instructors from neighbouring Cambridge, Ontario. Five years after the first Yoga for Hope, the event has spread to now include Cambridge. In 2012, Beth believes the next chapter of Yoga for Hope will begin in Vancouver. She remains committed to continuing to see Yoga for Hope grow.

“Yoga for Hope is a win-win event. It is teachers coming together with a common goal to promote the healing powers of the practice they believe in. Every year, it's an introduction to yoga for some new participants and a comfortable ‘old shoe’ for those who are already converts to the practice. While we as individuals have opportunities (and some obligation) to help our fellow man, this event provides the participant with a first hand experience of yoga, AND the funds raised by all of these individuals then support HopeSpring, which in turn offers the healing power of yoga to those with cancer.  It's a perfect circle. And speaking of circles, the wrap up of each Yoga for Hope event honours by name, those who are dealing with cancer and others in remembrance, in a Circle of Hope ritual.  As Starhawk said in a poem entitled ‘Community’: ‘A circle of healings, a circle of friends. Someplace where we can be free.’”

Written by Michelle Lewis
Edited by Kristine Scarrow

Published by Catherine Brindley