December 20, 1995 the founder and director
of SMILE passed away. This
individual had a positive impact on hundreds of young people and, in many
cases, the impact was profound and life changing. I was one of those young people in the profound
category. I’m no longer that
young, however, I feel the influence of this man every day.
He was, a strong teacher, a national
winning coach, a good father who became great, an excellent role model for
service and for me, he was a fabulous friend. SMILE was the embodiment of its creator. The program at its core was about the
awesome power of relationships. It
is a belief that a bond with a significant person in your life makes a
difference and sometimes it makes all the difference.
I still, to this day, come into contact
with people who tell me stories of how this man changed their life in small
ways and, in many cases, in deep and potent ways. Often the stories are related to career
paths, personal determination and variations of their personal character development. I meet many parents of children who
were involved in SMILE and they talk of the influence of the program on their
children and affect it had on their development. Those parents still speak of his kindness, compassion, sense
of humour and how he influenced their outlook on their life and that of their
children.
Without Jack I would not be what I am
today, such as it is.
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