PRESIDENT’S REPORT
The purpose of life is not to be happy — but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all. Leo Rosten
Our fifth season is now well underway. At this time, 22 students are receiving $100 each month to make their lives a little easier and to help them graduate high school. Their stories are both very sad and heart-warming but I have been amazed by how positive they are despite living in difficult circumstances. In every case, their school has identified them as hard-working students who are trying very hard to get through high school.
When we meet the students, they are in shock, not fully understanding that complete strangers are going to help them graduate high school. As they leave the meeting, we will either get a quiet “thank you” or, if we’re lucky, a hug. Always a very moving moment.
Our Annual General Meeting took place at St. Matthew HS on Wednesday, November 19th. My thanks to the Members who attended. A donation of $100 or more entitles the donor to attend the next AGM.
I would like to thank the Gloucester North Lions Club for their recent donation. The Club has been an amazing supporter since the beginning of the HOST Program. Their continuing support is an inspiration to me to keep going.
Compared to other charities, our work is quite modest. Our long-term objective is to support at least one student from each of the 50 Ottawa youth high schools. With 18 schools participating in the HOST Program, we are over one third of the way there. In order to achieve our dream, we need the continued support of our current donors and we need to find new ones.
You are our best ambassadors. Please talk to your family, your friends and your co-workers. I would be delighted if you could open a door for me to make a presentation to a business, group or association.
The next President’s Report, published in early January, will feature excerpts from the recipients’ letters.
Best regards,
Richard Lussier
President
(613) 983-3633