The Day Before

As I type this , on the eve of setting out on the first stage of the two leg commitment of walking the SW Coast Path, I believe it appropriate to thank a number of people for supporting my Walking People out of Poverty Initiative. I would start by thanking my good friend Steve Riggott, my childhood friend, who very kindly met me at Heathrow Airport yesterdayand drove me down to Minehead so that I would have a smooth transition from London to the West Coast. I will share with you a neat story, on one of my later blogs, about our great friendship, I think you will enjoy it. Anyway, thanks Steve.

Next I would like to thank Andrew MacDonald and Jamie Hubrick, from Opportunity International, who are the brains behind creating the donation page (thanks Andrew) and this blog (thanks Jamie). As anyone who knows me, technology is not my strong suit, so it’s thanks to these folks for putting me in position to raise money and at the same time paint a picture of the journey ahead. Take a bow Andrew and Jamie.

I would thank my good buddy from the office, Bruce Bynoe, for meeting me most weekends to go for hikes through Nose Hill and in and around the Douglas Fir Trail and Edworthy Park. It is so much more enjoyable hiking with someone when you are training, and especially someone who was such good company. I’m sorry my other great friend Norm was unable to join us, but I know he would have been there if not for his unfortunate foot problem. So thank you Bruce.

It is appropriate to thank David Parker, from the Calgary Herald, who wrote a brilliant article in the Calgary Herald advertising my walk, as we try and deliver the message about the best kept secret in North America (unfortunately), Opportunity International. Great job David, thank you.

The next two people I want to thank are Doris Olafsen and her P.A. Jo-Anne Morris, two of the most wonderful people I know. Doris is O.I.’s Executive Director, based out of Vancouver, and Doris and Joanne are my two biggest supporters, and have provided incredible support over the years and are true champions of the poor. Doris is The Wizard of the Written Word” and people who know Doris, will have a smile on their face, and nodding their heads in acknowledgment when reading this. Jo-Anne is Doris’s trusty and loyal side kick and has spent countless hours doing all the background work for the blog, and which Jamie deftly crafted into shape, and continues to amaze with her energy. Thank you Doris, thank you Jo-Anne for what you give me, as without you this walk would not have been possible from a fund raising standpoint, and I look forward to visiting Rwanda with you both next year.

It would be remiss of me not to thank Mark Rose, Chairman and CEO of Avison Young, Tod Hughes, Principal and Board Member of Avison Young, and my Managing Partner, Todd Throndson for getting the message out to all of Avison Young’s many employees across North America, and also Lyndal Hanna, AY’s Vice President of I.T. and her team for creating the link to Avisphere, where our employees can learn more about the walk and goals we are striving to achieve. So thank you Mark, Tod, Todd, Lyndal and your incredible team.

I would like to provide my biggest thanks to all of those people who provided their hard earned cash to supporting this endeavour, and before I carry on would pause to share this story with you.

Several weeks I started a short dialogue with someone as a result of a donation, and my subsequent e-mail back to the person expressing my thanks and gratitude. After several exchanges the person thanked me the hard work I would be doing during my walk, to which I replied that it was a lot harder getting people to part with their hard earned money than walking up and down hills. And it’s true, because we are in an age of where there are so many deserving charities to choose from.

And so I salute each and every one of you for opening your minds to the possibilities that Opportunity International provides to the entrepreneurial poor. I would thank you for opening your hearts to those in poverty, and please know that your faith will be richly rewarded, and finally THANK YOU for opening your wallets. Your kindness and generosity is greatly appreciated and I cannot thank you enough.

Please know that when the going gets tough, during my journey, it will be the memory of all of the wonderful donations and kind words that will get me through the difficult times.

All monies pledged have been matched by a mystery donor, so I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks for the vision and faith they placed in this endeavour, as all the monies raised will have an incredible impact on the entrepreneurial poor as they work their way out of poverty.

Strength to strength, that is what is required in a great business partnership and even more so in our personal relationships. The strength and love of my life, Liz Smith has always been onside with tackling life opportunities and challenges. “Walking the Poor out of Poverty” is truly a symbolic way for me to put into action what has been in my heart for a long time. And Liz gets that and understand it, and has been supportive since I first conceived of this crazy idea. In fact, Liz will join me on the last week of the Trek and we will cross that 485.1KM finish line together. My greatest cheerleader and advocate, Liz Smith, I take this moment to applaud and thank you publicly for being my personal hero!

And so I will say good-night and see you tomorrow, to let you know how I fared on the first day of my journey.