Most of us have a number of people in our lives that would qualify as Hidden Heroes, but it's only occasionally that someone takes the time to tell me about them, and I can only assume that they aren't telling anyone else either.

I believe the world would be a better place if we talked at least as much about the positive people around us as we do about the negative ones. If you agree, why don't you drop me a line or call and tell me about at least one of the Hidden Heroes in your life? (You'll find my contact information at the bottom of the column)

Madeline Bruce didn't wait for my invitation; she emailed her nomination a couple of weeks ago. Here in short is what she had to say about her friend, Stephanie McDowell.

Stephanie, she told me, continuously helps the most disenfranchised members of our city, the homeless, the mentally ill, and the physically handicapped. She hears about people who are struggling, without a home, in need of a doctor, or without funds of any kind, and she steps in to advocate on their behalf.

She does this not because it's her job (she's retired) and not as a volunteer with one of the not-for-profit organizations in town. She does it strictly because she is passionate about helping the downtrodden whenever and wherever she can.

Stephanie is not an independently wealthy philanthropist. In fact she lives on a "modest" pension and, according to Madeline, frequently finds herself at the end of the month without milk in her fridge because she can't afford it, but she's still there whenever she's needed to help those who are less fortunate.

"But I can always find money for my cigarettes," Stephanie laughed when she heard what Madeline had to say. So there you go, she's not perfect after all.

Originally from the Lower Mainland, Stephanie moved to Ontario when she married and worked as an executive assistant to a number of different politicians. When she returned to BC some years later, she found a job in Vanderhoof working for the Ministry of Family, Children and Welfare as it was called then. She has always had a passionate interest in the social services area.

A dozen or so years ago, she got a compassionate transfer to Nanaimo to look after an aging aunt and continued working with the Ministry until she took an early retirement three years ago.

"I was always a pain in the butt to the Ministry," she laughed, "so when they offered me an early retirement package, I took it".

She may have been a "pain in the butt" but the Ministry, she says, still "refers" difficult clients to her on occasion. She also gets "referrals" from various not-for-profit agencies in town such as the 7 - 10 Club, where she sits on the board, and Citizen's Advocacy.

Her role as she sees it is to help those in need find food, a home or a doctor - Finding doctors to deal with mental or emotional problems is her biggest challenge she says.

The majority of Stephanie's success stories end with her getting one of her "clients" a disability pension. These are people she feels who should be getting a pension, but somehow they have fallen through the cracks.

One such person, Madeline told me, was an older foreign gentleman who had difficulty communicating. He was almost completely blind and couldn't make his way through the various bureaucratic tangles to get help. With Stephanie advocating for him, he now has a pension and his life is a lot brighter.

Next week I'll write about how Stephanie helped Mark Northup take a 180 degree turn in his life.