Banner declares 'Way to go BOB' as Staff Sgt Bob Martin completes Special Olympics Torch Run in 1991

Under "certain pressure" from his Ontario Provincial Police colleagues in the Chapleau detachment that he may be trying to avoid the annual Ontario Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics in 1991, Staff Sgt. Bob Martin agreed to run it early, and  fellow officers decided it needed special attention.

Jennifer (Swanson) David, at the time a young reporter noted that "under certain presssure from his colleagues who accused him of trying to purposefully miss the event, he agreed to do the run early" ahead of the June 11 scheduled date.

Staff Sgt. Martin was going to be on vacation on the date of the run.

"Although he wanted to complete the run with as little publicity as possible, his colleagues decided everyone should know about it."

Accordingly as Staff Sgt. Martin and fellow runner Marshall Canning ran from the Moore Arena on the 2.5 km run, they were followed by a police van with lights flashing. 

As the van passed the cemeteries on Grey Street an ambulance pulled in behind the runners with sirens and flashing lights. On arrival at the separate schools they were met by the press.

The run successfully completed, they were congratulated and posed for photos.

Colleagues from the Chapleau detachment made him a banner which said "Way to go, BOB!"

Jennifer added that although he looked somewhat flusteered by all the attention, he took it in stride and thanked everyone.

Participating in the run at Chapleau were the Ontario Provincial Police, Ministry of Natural Resources and local by-law enforcement.

In 1991 it was the 5th annual Ontario Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics which is an ongoing program of fitness, recreation and sport for people of all ages who have an intellectual disability; a cognitive delay, or a developmental disability, according to its web site.

Jennifer

Jennifer's article noted that the "ultimate goal is that all Ontarians are provided with the opportunity of participation in sport and physical activity."

On a very personal basis, I am most impressed with the program at the Cranbrook Aquatic Centre where I swim almost daily for the past few years, and on one evening a week, the Special Olympics swim program is underway. Participants enter into competitions and over the years have done exceedingly well.

Jennifer, the daughter of Bunny and the late Keith 'Buddy' Swanson of Chapleau is now senior consultant at NVision Insight Group Inc. She holds Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Journalism degrees from Carleton University in Ottawa.

Jennifer, who was communications director at the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network is the author of 'Original People. Original TV. The Launching of the Aboriginal Peoples TV Network.' She is also a member of Chapleau Cree First Nation.  My email is mj.morris@live.ca

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Happy Valentine's Day: Colin's birthday brings million plus together on Facebook

Sitting alone in a school office at lunch time and not having any friends to invite to a birthday party, may not be the usual situation for a 10-year-old boy.

Quite possibly,  it may be more common than we think, but as Valentine's Day approached, and I was thinking about an appropriate column, likely about the usual "stuff" one writes for this occasion, an article in The Huffington Post caught my attention.

But before I tell you more about Colin, I was beyond shocked, and trust me, that takes some doing, when I read in Northern Life magazine online that in the United States, in 2014, total spending was expected to reach $17.3 billion -- yes, "billion" for Valentine's Day.

I double checked and that amount comes from a survey  conducted by the National Retail Federation in the United States,which claims that "the average person plans to spend $133.91 on candy, cards, gifts, dinner, and more, up slightly from $130.97 last year. Total spending is expected to reach $17.3 billion."

That's in the United States with a much larger population than Canada, but, to me at least, it's a staggering amount.

Back to Colin. The Huffington Post reported that Colin who lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan told his mother, Jennifer, that when she asked her son what he wanted to do for his birthday, he said he didn't want a party. 

“Mom, who am I going to invite? I don’t have any friends,” he explained.

The Huffington Post article added that Colin was diagnosed with a disorder similar to autism about a year ago, and because of it, he has difficulty socializing.

His mother was devastated, but she took action and created a Facebook page which at the outset was set up for family and friends to send Colin birthday wishes so he could see how loved he is.

The Facebook page also demonstrates the best of the use of social media.

Here is the mother's story taken from the Facebook page:

"I am Colin's Mom, I created this page for my amazing, wonderful, challenging son... Because of Colin's disabilities, social skills are not easy for him, and he often acts out in school, and the other kids don't like him. So when I asked him if he wanted a party for his birthday, he said there wasn't a point because he has no friends. He eats lunch alone in the office everyday because no one will let him sit with them, and rather than force someone to be unhappy with his presence, he sits alone in the office. So I thought, if I could create a page where people could send him positive thoughts and encouraging words, that would be better than any birthday party. Please join me in making my very original son feel special on his day."

Colin was in for a surprise on his birthday. As I write this column, Colin's birthday Facebook page had received more than 1.8 million Likes, and growing. I spent some time going through the comments being made, and they reflect an outpouring of affection and understanding from people all over for Colin, along with suggestions like the Best Buddy Club to help him make friends.

It made my Valentine's Day. In a society which so often today seems divisive, sefish and uncaring, the support being shown to this one child because of an action taken by his mother, shows we still have the ability to focus on those things that bring us together rather than those that divide us. And without spending $17.3 billion to show our love.

Or perhaps, you may wish to undertake your own Act of Random Kindness, keeping in mind the the following quotation, attributed to Etienne de Grellet, (1773-1855), a Quaker missionary,  and others. "I shall pass this way but once; any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being; let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."

Happy Valentine's Day. My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Addenda... This is an update of a column I wrote in 2014 for the now defunct Cranbrook Guardian. His Facebook page is still going strong.