Last
night, I was honoured to attend the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards.
This caused me to reflect on the Women of Distinction in my own life. I
will preface this blog by saying that it is NOT clear concise
communications, but hopefully you think it's worth reading anyway.
Susan Doniz
- Susan and I have known each other for over twenty years, since
attending the University of Toronto. As CIO of Aimia, she is one of the Top
100 Women in Canada at the age of 42.
Susan has a thirst for knowledge and a desire to understand the world and all its marvels that is unparalleled. She and her husband Dany have a map riddled with thumbtacks of UNESCO destinations (won't be the same in ten years) - I think they have been to almost all of them. They do not have cable in their home - instead stacks of books and publications related to IT, statistics, business, travel, spirituality and yes - the occasional fashion mag.
A first generation Spanish Canadian raised by an upholsterer and a stay-at-home mom, Susan lives humbly with a very old car, a top-notch wardrobe all purchased from outlet stores and thrift shops and nothing frivolous in her home. For her, experiences are worth money above all else in life. She has lived and traveled abroad while climbing the corporate ladder, all in the name of adventure - many times with her kids in tow. How blessed her children are to have such a wide perspective on life.
Above all else, Susan's positive attitude and her ability to see things objectively make her a leader. I was once offended by a business email I received, and she responded "it sounds like she was having a bad day." Funny enough - this very instance was used to illustrate the difference between a positive and negative person on a talkshow I watched last week. I don't consider myself a negative person, but Susie's ability to take in information, learn from it, execute on it and then move on is what makes her the C-suite stuff.
Susan has a thirst for knowledge and a desire to understand the world and all its marvels that is unparalleled. She and her husband Dany have a map riddled with thumbtacks of UNESCO destinations (won't be the same in ten years) - I think they have been to almost all of them. They do not have cable in their home - instead stacks of books and publications related to IT, statistics, business, travel, spirituality and yes - the occasional fashion mag.
A first generation Spanish Canadian raised by an upholsterer and a stay-at-home mom, Susan lives humbly with a very old car, a top-notch wardrobe all purchased from outlet stores and thrift shops and nothing frivolous in her home. For her, experiences are worth money above all else in life. She has lived and traveled abroad while climbing the corporate ladder, all in the name of adventure - many times with her kids in tow. How blessed her children are to have such a wide perspective on life.
Above all else, Susan's positive attitude and her ability to see things objectively make her a leader. I was once offended by a business email I received, and she responded "it sounds like she was having a bad day." Funny enough - this very instance was used to illustrate the difference between a positive and negative person on a talkshow I watched last week. I don't consider myself a negative person, but Susie's ability to take in information, learn from it, execute on it and then move on is what makes her the C-suite stuff.
Marilyn Field
- Marilyn Field is the President and Founder of DAREarts - a not for
profit charity that enables thousands of at-risk youth to turn their
lives around and become leaders through arts education. I don't see or
speak to Marilyn very much, but she has an ability to influence and
become top-of-mind regardless. She is a tiny woman who says very little
but her legacy commands attention.
At the age of 22, Marilyn was a young school teacher in an underpriveleged neighbourhood in Toronto. A classically trained pianist with a passion for the arts, she saw children who had never been exposed to the arts before. These kids were sometimes not making the best decisions (understatement), often late for class and showing up to school hungry. After discovering that writing out lines of "I will not bring a knife to school" didn't work, Marilyn started conducting detentions (and providing food) while playing Mozart and comparing him to a rap artist.
Soon, kids came, regardless of having a detention. They showed up on time, eager to learn and give their very best. Marilyn would say this was the power of the arts at work - she takes credit for nothing. Neighbouring schools caught wind of the story and Marilyn's vision to empower at-risk youth through the arts became too big for one school teacher in the traditional classroom setting to facilitate. DAREarts was born.
Today, sixteen years later, DAREarts and its tiny team of five in Caledon collaborates with 125 vested artists as teachers across the country to facilitate out-of-school arts programs for at-risk youth in Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax and remote Northern Aboriginal Communities. The dedication of this team of people, championed and led by example by Marilyn Field is truly empowering kids who have been dealt a rough hand in life to become leaders.
I cannot say enough about Marilyn and her team. I wish I could hover above the earth and shout as loud as possible to tell the world her story. I guess the Internet is the next best thing.
Linda Lou Pinnington - I save the best for last. Hopefully, those who matter are still hanging in.
You guessed it - this is my mom - and I know that everyone says their mom is wonderful, but mine is exceptional. A retired French school teacher, my mom has in my estimation, been re-born since her retirement.
A tiny little thing, my Mom is a gifted speaker who can capture the attention of a jam-packed room, which serves the organizations she represents well. She and my father are head volunteers for Canadian Food for Children (canadianfoodforchildren.org) - a charity that solicits, collects, packs and ships food, clothing and learning supplies to third world countries. She travels to neighbouring schools, community groups, and churches to tell their story and solicit donations. They have somehow managed to convince all their friends that weeding through other peoples' things, packing, loading and delivering boxes is a fun way to spend an afternoon. I think the entire CFFC volunteer list is actually Mom and Dad's friends.
My mom's vocation in life though, has been discovered through unhappy circumstances, as many of her friends and acquaintances have become ill and died over the past decade or so. Mom could have been a nurse if she hadn't been a teacher. I remember when my grandmother was dying and I was crying by her bedside. She put her hand on my shoulder and said - "Shhh, you will frighten her." When the ailing are experiencing things that other people can't bear to watch, my mom is unshaken and resolute in her goal to keep them comfortable and unafraid. She has a gift.
At the age of 22, Marilyn was a young school teacher in an underpriveleged neighbourhood in Toronto. A classically trained pianist with a passion for the arts, she saw children who had never been exposed to the arts before. These kids were sometimes not making the best decisions (understatement), often late for class and showing up to school hungry. After discovering that writing out lines of "I will not bring a knife to school" didn't work, Marilyn started conducting detentions (and providing food) while playing Mozart and comparing him to a rap artist.
Soon, kids came, regardless of having a detention. They showed up on time, eager to learn and give their very best. Marilyn would say this was the power of the arts at work - she takes credit for nothing. Neighbouring schools caught wind of the story and Marilyn's vision to empower at-risk youth through the arts became too big for one school teacher in the traditional classroom setting to facilitate. DAREarts was born.
Today, sixteen years later, DAREarts and its tiny team of five in Caledon collaborates with 125 vested artists as teachers across the country to facilitate out-of-school arts programs for at-risk youth in Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax and remote Northern Aboriginal Communities. The dedication of this team of people, championed and led by example by Marilyn Field is truly empowering kids who have been dealt a rough hand in life to become leaders.
I cannot say enough about Marilyn and her team. I wish I could hover above the earth and shout as loud as possible to tell the world her story. I guess the Internet is the next best thing.
Linda Lou Pinnington - I save the best for last. Hopefully, those who matter are still hanging in.
You guessed it - this is my mom - and I know that everyone says their mom is wonderful, but mine is exceptional. A retired French school teacher, my mom has in my estimation, been re-born since her retirement.
A tiny little thing, my Mom is a gifted speaker who can capture the attention of a jam-packed room, which serves the organizations she represents well. She and my father are head volunteers for Canadian Food for Children (canadianfoodforchildren.org) - a charity that solicits, collects, packs and ships food, clothing and learning supplies to third world countries. She travels to neighbouring schools, community groups, and churches to tell their story and solicit donations. They have somehow managed to convince all their friends that weeding through other peoples' things, packing, loading and delivering boxes is a fun way to spend an afternoon. I think the entire CFFC volunteer list is actually Mom and Dad's friends.
My mom's vocation in life though, has been discovered through unhappy circumstances, as many of her friends and acquaintances have become ill and died over the past decade or so. Mom could have been a nurse if she hadn't been a teacher. I remember when my grandmother was dying and I was crying by her bedside. She put her hand on my shoulder and said - "Shhh, you will frighten her." When the ailing are experiencing things that other people can't bear to watch, my mom is unshaken and resolute in her goal to keep them comfortable and unafraid. She has a gift.
Because
of this gift, my mom is the one people call to sit by a loved one's bedside when they are sick or dying, or when they themselves just need a good night's rest. Some who call are close friends; some are friends who had fallen out of touch but
know they can still ask; others are acquaintances who call because
my mom's reputation as a caregiver precedes her. In
every circumstance where a friend passes, she remains on the
scene after the fact, seeing the family through their difficult time.
It must be said that my mother's ability to deal with illness and accept death is directly linked to her faith and the knowledge that after this world, we will all go to a better place. Throughout my life, I have seen my Mother's faith in God and loyalty to the Roman Catholic church trickle down and take the shape of good deeds for her family, neighbours, friends, community, and perfect strangers. For all of the arguments against organized religion and in particular, the Roman Catholic Church - my Mom is living proof that it enables miraculous things.
It must be said that my mother's ability to deal with illness and accept death is directly linked to her faith and the knowledge that after this world, we will all go to a better place. Throughout my life, I have seen my Mother's faith in God and loyalty to the Roman Catholic church trickle down and take the shape of good deeds for her family, neighbours, friends, community, and perfect strangers. For all of the arguments against organized religion and in particular, the Roman Catholic Church - my Mom is living proof that it enables miraculous things.
This blog is dedicated to my mom - a week late - for Mother's Day. So proud to be your kid.
