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Stories from program alumni are often the best way in which to illustrate the impact Leadership Waterloo Region has on the community. Each graduate has a personal leadership story, and it is important to highlight those stories.
"I Have a Passion"
"I do love my day job in advertising but, like most jobs, deadlines and getting overwhelmed can sometimes get the best of me. My passion starts when I toss my work-out bag in the car and head off to Grand River Karate.
"I've been involved in karate since 1979 and I'm more in love (addicted!) with it now than I've ever been. In 1998 our chief instructor moved and, since I was the next highest rank, lucky me, I got the title. Unfortunately, I had no experience in running a not-for-profit karate school where no one gets paid to teach. My passion wasn't enough. The membership was slowly declining and our higher ranked members, including myself, couldn't see much of a future.
"I began to look for help. I started with locating masters and associations that had a classical foundation, good structure, and support. After 4 years I found one called Shido-kan Karate under Sensei (Teacher) Seikichi Iha, 10th degree black belt. We made the switch and are now affiliated and training with the highest ranks in the world. But I was confronted once again. People don't like sudden change. Our membership dropped to 20 students very quickly. I questioned whether I had made a big mistake.
"Since I was involved in several business and community programs, my wife Lindsay suggested I look at participating in Leadership Waterloo Region. I wasn't completely sure what I would gain from the program but I soon found it to be a valuable experience.
"The program taught me tools to support my passion and help re-light the passion in others. All the knowledge offered from Leadership Waterloo Region - governance, diversity and creativity to name a few - play a vital role in our community as a whole. I realized that Grand River Karate is also a community in itself.
"In the year after I completed the 2004 program, our karate membership grew from 20 students to 120, and it's still growing.
"We now have a great team of leaders at the school, solid structures and clarity on our future with a common goal. That goal is a commitment to each member that they experience balance in life, improve focus, learn to cooperate with each other, and make great friendships.
"Leadership Waterloo Region is a vital program for anyone involved in a community program, whether work or personal. Thank you, Leadership Waterloo Region, for keeping my passion alive."
Fortunato Restagno, President, Pursue Associates
Class of 2004
"They Needed a Door"
The Community Learning Day on Poverty is held at the Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank. It had been mentioned in previous years that the layout of the Food Bank facilities was not optimal, but it wasn’t until the Class of 2006 heard this that action was taken. It was proposed that a group of people from the class work on this project and see what could be done for the Food Bank. The result was an in-kind donation valued at more than $40 000 and a detailed plan for the Food Bank to guide future renovations.
"During our Community Learning Day on poverty, our Leadership Waterloo Region Class met at the Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank. Pat Singleton, the Executive Director, mentioned that the Food Bank facility needed a doorway between two adjacent rooms on the second floor. It occurred to me that such a project would be fairly simple to complete, and fun to work on. A group of members of the Class of 2006 agreed to work on it.
“My brother, Doug Denton, is an Architect and, given the age and structure of the building, I "volunteered" him to visit the site to assess what would need to be done. Through discussion it was determined the proper location of the door would be critical to the future functionality of the building and efficiency of the workings of the Food Bank. The initial proposed location for a new door proved not to be ideal. This led to the Food Bank management developing a "Must Have" list and a "Would Like to Have" list. Various concerns about the current operations and service delivery were evident in these two lists.
“Doug, through extensive consultation with the Executive Director, and with the help of Leadership Waterloo Region Class Members, decided a facility assessment would prioritize work to be done. This would also provide a construction cost estimate for the various project components that would need to be undertaken. This assessment was then presented to the Board of Directors. Today, the Food Bank is still without a door, but they now have a roadmap for the next several years that will provide greater value in terms of their being able to undertake remedial/reconstructive work in a prudent, logical manner, and better deliver service to a community greatly in need of their services.”
Bob Denton, TD Commercial Banking
Class of 2006
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