Posted on October 24, 2016 under Monday Morning Musings with 4 comments

Yaser Almashhoud, Tareq Hadhad and me. Friends.

Please note: Faces in the Crowd will be published on Tuesday this week only.

Volunteerism.

If there is anyone who embodies the notion of volunteerism , it’s Clarence Deyoung. Last week’s Faces in the Crowd story showed the difference that one person can make when they commit to a life of helping others.

But Clarence would be quick to point out that there are hundreds and hundreds of unsung heroes in every small town in our province and indeed the country. Volunteerism may be the most unreported and underappreciated part of the economy. You never hear economists talk about it when they quote GDP ( Gross Domestic Product ) numbers. Let’s face it, our community could not function without people stepping up in a variety of ways.

Here’s a very small and incomplete list of the ways that you make this community special: coaching a sports team; ushering at the Bauer Theatre; delivering Meals on Wheels; singing and visiting at nursing homes; sitting on boards and committees; delivering communion to the sick and shut in; serving at the Hot Meal Program; manning the barbeque for an SPCA fundraiser;  community suppers; the Highland Games; The Exhibition; the Antigonish International Film Festival; teaching newcomers English. Sorry. There’s not enough space here to list them all but you get my point.

 If you’re ever feeling bored and restless ( let me know how that feels! ), why not get involved with something… anything. You will make a difference and you will feel good doing it.

Last Friday, I spent several hours at the home of Yaser Almashhoud and Raghda Ahmad to hear the story of their flight from Syria. Our good friend and neighbor, Tareq Hadhad acted as translator. Tomorrow, I will be publishing their harrowing tale . ( They grew up in middle class families in Aleppo and lived a very peaceful existence. And then the troubles began. Respectful protests of the regime turned in to full scale violence and war. Please take a few minutes to try and understand why the efforts of community groups like SAFE, CARE and Tri-Heart are so important. (“ From Aleppo to Antigonish – A Journey to Peace” )

  “ All my bags are packed and I’m ready to go…” ( Leaving on a Jet Plane ). Actually, my bags are not packed but I’m getting close to being ready to leave for India tomorrow. There are many things I will miss about Antigonish… winter is NOT one of them! If you are interested in seeing some information about the organization that I will be volunteering for, check out their website: www.APMAS.org . I will be sending regular reports at www.week45.com . BTW, I won’t be answering calls or texts for obvious reasons but FB private messages, e-mails and Whatsapp are all easy ways to stay in touch.

Be safe, be kind and be generous.

Have a great week.

 

Posted on October 20, 2016 under Faces in the Crowd with one comment

 

“I’m still a grassroots community guy. I still have a passion to help in any way I can, whether it’s Pomquet or Bangladesh.”

Meet Clarence Deyoung.

Clarence was a middle child, the seventh of 13 children born to Annie and Arthur Deyoung. Like most families of that era, the Deyoungs were self-sufficient because they had to be. They had a small farm with livestock and large gardens. Everybody had chores to do before and after school. “Did we growl and complain? Probably. But it helped shape us and developed character,” says Clarence. He vividly remembers seeing ten or more lunch cans lined up by the door each morning.

His early years of schooling were in Pomquet and he attended Antigonish East High School. “I liked grade eleven so much I did it two years in a row,” he quips.

In 1969, there was a lot of economic activity at the Strait of Canso with the paper mill and the Gulf Oil Refinery. The summer after completing grade eleven, Clarence headed to Point Tupper to tie steel. In what remains a mystery to this day, Clarence was approached one evening at home by a recruiter from the DeVry Institute to take a computer technology program. A 17 year old boy from Pomquet, who had only been as far as Halifax a few times, headed “down the road” to Toronto.

He was understandably homesick, but the kindness and generosity of his billets, Iva and Jim Riggs, got him over the hump. The program ran two years straight without any breaks. During this time, he had five different part time jobs to pay for his room, board and schooling. His upbringing of hard work had prepared him well.

He finished his program on a Friday and started work the following Monday with a company called Miscoe. The work consisted mostly of repairs to computer monitors and printers. Ten years later he received an offer from the owners to buy the business. He and his wife, Mary Ann, wondered how they could possibly finance a business with their modest resources.   At the time they had two young children.  Clarence did his due diligence, travelling to the U.S. to try and ascertain where the industry was heading. After several rejections, he found one bank that believed in him. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Clarence’s timing could not have been better. The business took off, and at one time his company had locations in 34 cities and towns across Canada.

In 1987 he was approached by Apple Computers, who made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Two years later he called it a day and decided that he would devote the rest of his life to volunteering.

Volunteering was in his DNA, and he credits his mother for instilling this in all of his siblings as well. In the book “Baker’s Dozen” that documents the Deyoung family, he describes his mother with these words and phrases: “Unselfish, giving, kind, compassionate, caring, wonderful heart, ethical,  strong moral values, lots of goodness, witty and honest; all qualities which she passed on to us siblings, not by sitting us down at the table and teaching us, but by her actions.”

During the early 80’s, Murray Dryden (father of Ken and Dave) gave a presentation at Clarence’s daughter’s school. He was the founder of “Sleeping Children around The World” (SCAW).  When Clarence retired, he tracked down Mr. Dryden. He was blown away by the simplicity of the initiative. SCAW provides bed kits to children, evenly distributed between boys and girls of any religion, focusing on those with the greatest need. These children are typically located in underdeveloped and developing countries. Every dollar raised goes to the bed kits … “the 100% gift” (www.scaw.org ).

To this day, Clarence remains 100% committed to his charitable work. Over the years , whether it was in Toronto or Hammonds Plains, he gave of his time to St. Vincent de Paul, the Knights of Columbus and  Feed Nova Scotia to name but a few. He still travels with SCAW regularly and never tires of seeing the smiles on the face of the children when they receive their bed kits.

In 2010, Clarence and Mary Ann decided that it was time to come “full circle” and they moved back home to Pomquet. They are both heavily involved in their community.

“I have been very fortunate. I got some breaks along the way and my timing was perfect. I was lucky to grow up in Pomquet with two exceptional parents as role models.”

Annie and Arthur would be very proud of a son who has given so much to so many.

 

Posted on October 17, 2016 under Monday Morning Musings with one comment

The arrival party at the airport

Tyranny and democracy.

This was an amazing week in so many ways. On Tuesday night , just before the stroke of midnight, a very weary Syrian refugee family came through the arrival gate at Stanfield International Airport. The Almoustafa Almashhoud family , originally from Aleppo, Syria had just completed an epic journey from Ankara, Turkey. Although fatigued, you could see the joy on their faces… and relief that they were finally out of harm’s way.

We were very pleased to have three members of the Al Zhouri family and Tareq Hadhad as part of the welcoming committee. Earlier this year, the Al Zhouris  had made a similar journey and this was the first time that they were back at the airport. They relived their memories of arriving and knew exactly how our newest Nova Scotians were feeling. On the drive home on the bus, the 4 children slept but Yaser and Raghda were too excited to close their eyes. Rabbia Al Zhouri, a wonderful, caring woman,  prepared some Syrian treats for the drive home.

We expect to hear the story of the Almashhoud’s escape from tyranny in the coming days. We welcome them to Antigonish and hope they enjoy the peace and quiet of small town Nova Scotia.

The local sponsorship group, CARE, of which I am a member, has been very busy the last few weeks getting a house ready for our refugee family. We have had phenomenal support from volunteers and the business community. It was especially heartwarming  to watch Toufiq Al Zhouri, who owned a construction company in Syria, roll up his sleeves and lend his skills at the house, a classic example of countryman helping countryman.

I would like to acknowledge the amazing contribution of a bus from Chuck and Yvonne MacDonald. This enabled all of us to travel to and from the airport as a group. Chuck drove the bus and was uncommonly kind to our new family.

The week ended with democracy on full display as Municipal elections were held across the province. We are so fortunate that we can conduct our affairs in such a civilized fashion. I think that we should thank everyone who put their name up for public office. It takes a great deal of courage and stamina to run in an election.  I have run for public office. I know the “ thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.”  In your travels, please reach out to those who were not successful. These are exceptional people who will continue to serve their community despite not winning.

I was going to comment on the U.S. Presidential race but for once, I will bite my lip!

Off to India a week from tomorrow.

Have a great week.