Uniting to improve society

A review of the stories published Nov. 7 on websites served by Axiom News suggests a lot of hard work is being accomplished across Canada by small groups of people dedicated to improving life for those around them.

A scan of the day’s headlines begins with more than 8,000 people gathered in Toronto for HealthAchieve, one of the largest health-care conferences in North America.

The opening session at the conference featured Hilary Short, the out-going president and CEO of the Ontario Hospital Association, which hosted and organized HealthAchieve, referring to the conference as a place where the latest ideas and innovations can come together.

During her presentation, Short gave kudos to the individuals who are driving the ideas and innovations to improve lives, crediting these “unsung heroes” as having timeless qualities such as leadership, compassion and the pursuit of excellence, which are fundamental to the ongoing improvement of the health-care system.

To have this idea shared with thousands of people at such a prominent event, whose audience included retired Gen. Colin Powell, Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan and Canadian journalist Pamela Wallin, gives promise that Short’s message has resonated with the mainstream.

Next we turn our attention to a story chronicling the efforts of advocates across the country and their call for the closure of institutions designed to house people with disabilities.

Provincially, government attitudes towards the existence of institutions are about as varied as the provinces themselves.

For example, the Ontario government has committed to closing the province’s three remaining institutions by 2009. In Nova Scotia meanwhile, the government has recently approved millions to renovate existing facilities.

Regardless of the status of institutions from province to province, the impassioned pleas of the de-institutionalization movement are uniform across the country and are highlighted by Institution Watch, a website designed to bring de-institutionalization back to the national agenda and develop a plan to make the issue a national priority.

Even groups from as far away as Europe have contacted the Canadian Association of Community Living and People First of Canada, partners in a national declaration on the Institution Watch website calling for the closure of institutions, asking to add their signatures to the declaration as a show of support.

Our next story takes us to London Ontario where students from London District Christian Secondary School are preparing for a number of events to help the needy.

Not only are students canvassing door to door for canned goods to be distributed by the Salvation Army, they’re also putting power in the hands of area residents by folding more than 90,000 paper bags for a food drive. The bags were distributed through the local daily newspaper for citizens to fill and drop of at the food bank.

For this school, and many others, this type of activity isn’t a one-time event. Students at London District have been engaged in holiday food drives for the better part of two decades. The school also helps out at the local street mission on a monthly basis serving meals and socializing.

This type of activity, regardless of faith, is to be commended and encouraged.

In short, these stories are about people uniting not for personal gain but for the betterment of society.

We can hardly wait for tomorrow’s headlines.