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As We Celebrate National Volunteer Week, Here’s to our Board of Directors

Monday, April 13, 2015 3:08 PM

I don’t think I will ever forget the moment that the One Spark Board of Directors took its first breath. It was June 26, 2013 at approximately 1:00 p.m.  I sat across from Jo-Anne Liburd over a pint on a Front Street patio in Toronto and said nervously, “I want to talk to you about something”.  By 1:30 Jo-Anne was the founding President of the One Spark Board of Directors.

I know for a fact that many organizations have outstanding Boards of Directors, but as we celebrate National Volunteer Week, I want to share why I love the One Spark Board from the bottom of my heart.  So here it is:  I adore this crew because I asked them not to join and lead an organization, but to whole-heartedly believe in a concept and then to leap right into that idea with no guarantees of how it would unfold. There was no office, no staff, no coffee maker, no lights to turn off when they leave. There was simply an application for incorporation and massive, unassailable faith in what was possible.  They've been asked to take time away from the families and friends they adore and the daily work that fills their plates, and to commit to reviewing programs, approving minutes, developing policy, discussing finances, organizing golf tournaments, and – most importantly – taking on violence against women.  They have taken it on fiercely and, in the words of Theodore Roosevelt, they have dared greatly.  As the Board of Directors, Jo-Anne, Lynden, Danielle, Marlo, Flavio, Heather, Howie and Rachel are the brilliant heart, brain, hands, feet, eyes, and voice of what One Spark has become.

Lucky for me, they are also 8 of the funniest people I know.

So, as we toast the volunteers that make the non-profit world turn, here’s to 8 amazing people that have collectively brought One Spark to life.  With an immensely grateful heart, I thank you.

Corrie
One Spark Executive Director

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