Boys and Girls Club of Nanaimo

I define Neighbourhood Heroes as people who have done small things - things that any ordinary person could do -- that has made a positive difference either in their own lives or the lives of people around them.

Every week, in fact almost every day, I bump into people who fit that description and I'm sure you do too. The problem is most of us seem to have been trained to focus on people doing negative things and most often let the small positive actions slip by virtually unnoticed.

I spent much of last Saturday at a Boys and Girls Club board and senior staff retreat. Most Boys and Girls Club staffers would qualify as Neighbourhood Heroes. Here are just two of the stories I heard that day.

Karie Nichols told us about a young girl who at the age of eleven or twelve was part of a group she took to Disneyland.As the group sat in a hotel room one evening talking about everything under the sun, Karie led the discussion into the importance of graduating from high school.

A year of so later this young girl ran into some personal challenges and her school marks began to plummet. Formerly a straight A student who loved to show off her marks to Karie and other club leaders, she began to hate school and hide her marks.

Throughout the initial part of this period, Karie and others at the club were there to listen and help where they could. Eventually the girl outgrew the club but after a couple of years began to drop back occasionally for a visit.

Two years ago she came by to invite Karie to her graduation from the Culinary Program at John Barsby Community High School.

Before she hit bottom with her studies, this girl remembered Karie's talk at Disneyland and found reason to refocus,graduate, and find a good job.

Last year she got married and recently had a child. Now it's Karie's hope that she will soon become a member of the Boys and Girls Club group for parents and their babies.

Terry Ketteringham told us about a young boy who stole trading cards from another boy in the club.

When he was confronted with the theft, he insisted that another of the boys had confessed to him, and stuck to that story through most of the day; however, late that afternoon, Terry could see him becoming more and more nervous so he took him aside to give him the space in private to admit that it was he who had committed the theft.

Given Terry's support, he then confessed to both his parents and the parents of the boy he had stolen from.

"He took responsibility for what he had done," Terry told us, "and I was very proud of him for it."

At that point in the story, I was excited to hear how this young man had learned such a valuable lesson. How he was able to face this problem head on, take his lumps, and move on. I could only imagine the positive impact this incident would have on the rest of his life.

But the best was yet to come.

A month later the boy from whom he had stolen had a birthday party and guess who was invited?

When asked why he would invite someone to his party who had stolen from him, he responded, "Everyone deserves a second chance. He's my friend and if I don't give it to him, who will?"

If you are ever looking to find Neighbourhood Heroes, drop by any of the Boys and Girls Clubs. You'll find them by the dozen among the staff and also among the boys and girls.