GLOBAL HEROES

“In the last few years, I met with Syrian refugees at the Za’atari camp in Jordan,” said Kat Graham. “I travelled along the Guatemala-Mexico border where I met women, children, and families forced to flee their own countries to escape extreme gang violence. “In all the time I was there, the resolute, resourceful, graceful and smart people I met never asked me for anything. Their hope was only to give. All they wanted was the chance to stand on their own feet and show the world they had the strength to survive and thrive.” Since becoming a high profile supporter in 2014, and her subsequent 2020 appointment as Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, the Swiss-born American actress, singer, and humanitarian has visited displaced people in several spots worldwide, including Jordan, Central America, and Ethiopia, witnessing the courage and strength of the refugees she has encountered.   https://www.globalheroes.com/kat-graham-goodwill-ambassador-for-unhcr/

Join thousands of patients, survivors, and their families for the brain tumour walk weekend! June 17-19, 2022   Every day, 27 Canadians will hear the words “you have a brain tumour.” Brain tumours are unpredictable and complex. They can affect vision, hearing, memory, balance, and mobility. Their effects are physical, emotional, financial, and last a lifetime. Kelly Northey was eight years old when she was first diagnosed with a brain tumour. The year was 1981, and at that time, there was little organized support or brain tumour research being conducted. Patients diagnosed with a brain tumour struggled alone with the physical and emotional effects of the disease. In January of 1982, after a six-month struggle, Kelly finally succumbed to the disease, but her legacy was to live on with the creation of the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada.   https://www.globalheroes.com/brain-tumour-walk-weekend-a-walk-for-hope/

Between crafting music for her upcoming album and preparing for another summer of incredible performances, including a headline spot at Boots and Hearts festival at Burl’s Creek in Ontario, international sweetheart and reigning Queen of Country Pop Shania Twain is busier than ever.  Through it all, one thing remains constant: her love of giving back to children like her, just the way she promised she would when she was a child. Much of Twain’s childhood revolved around keeping up appearances so that no one would know that her family life was dysfunctional, even if it meant going to school hungry.    https://www.globalheroes.com/a-whole-lotta-love-for-shania-twain/

Refugees are among the most vulnerable people in Canadian society. They have come to start over but find it stubbornly difficult when injury or sickness strikes them or their family. Sixty percent of our over 80,000 refugee visits have occurred in the past five years—each refugee’s journey is treacherous. https://www.globalheroes.com/canadian-centre-refugee-immigrant-health-care/

A few years ago, fashion and beauty lover Madeline Della Mora applied to be a Cosmetic Advisor Volunteer at Look Good Feel Better (LGFB), Canada’s only charitable program dedicated to helping women manage the effects cancer and its treatment have on their appearance. This year, Madeline celebrates five years of volunteering with LGFB and being part of a community that offers women supportive care so they can feel like themselves again.   https://www.globalheroes.com/looking-good-feeling-better-cancer-cosmetics/

In 1972, Pyarali Nanji, his wife, Gulshan, and their four children got word that they, along with 60,000 other Ugandans of South Asian lineage, had 90 days to leave the country that they had long called home.   Stripped of their citizenship and assets and declared stateless, the family fled. Thanks to mercy flights organized by the Canadian government, they found sanctuary in Montréal, Canada. They stayed in temporary lodgings at the downtown YMCA, which took care of all their immediate needs. The Nanji family never forgot the kindness they were shown in the face of catastrophe, and they pledged to pay that kindness forward when they had the means to do so.   Eighteen years later, Pyarali started a hugely successful packaging firm in Toronto, and the family decided it was time to make good on their promise. They launched the Nanji Family Foundation, which has donated millions of dollars to Canadian hospitals, including St. Mary’s Hospital, where Gulshan had been treated for rheumatoid arthritis.   “My father was so impressed by the way we were treated, the way our host country took us in during our time of need. It was always his goal to be able to give back.”   https://www.globalheroes.com/refugee-celebrates-50-years-canada-unhcr/

Whatever it takes. Wherever the need.   Her day starts at 5:30 a.m. Soon after, Zainab Bishar Bashir is working hard at a camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Somalia, where she is a midwife. She delivers babies, shows new mothers how to breastfeed, and immunizes children. In an antenatal care room, she also examines pregnant women.   Many mothers-to-be are presenting with conditions such as preeclampsia and anemia, often caused by malnutrition. The Galbet camp in Kismayo has seen an influx of people searching for health care and humanitarian assistance. Zainab—whose health clinic is supported by Save the Children with funding from Global Affairs Canada—said, “The admission trend of malnourished children and pregnant and lactating mothers increased, requiring staff to work long hours.”   https://www.globalheroes.com/save-the-children/

The Dawn of a New Era for The Weeknd © BRIAN ZIFF By Raye Mocioiu Abel Tesfaye, known to his fans as The Weeknd, emerged as a mysterious and underground R&B sensation back in 2011—although now, a decade and some later, he would be better described as one of the most prolific pop stars in the world and one of the most significant artists of the 21st century. While the character of The Weeknd is known for music that evokes dark themes and feelings of escapism set to a shape-shifting mix of pop and R&B, the man behind the music is a vessel for lightness, known for sharing generously and making significant contributions to causes that are dear to his heart and his history. Music, of course, is one of the artist’s driving causes, and Tesfaye proves that there is room for both lightness and darkness when it comes to art. As he told GQ Magazine in 2021, “My art is dark, and I’ve gone through dark times. I’ve used those dark times as inspiration for my art.”   https://www.globalheroes.com/the-dawn-of-a-new-era-for-the-weeknd/

When you hear the word home, what do you think of? For some, it may be the place they return to after a long day’s work. For others, the word may bring back memories of childhood or family. We say we feel at home when we are relaxed, comfortable in our environment, and at ease. It’s the feeling of knowing you’re safe, surrounded by those who care. For at least 115,000 residents across over 600 homes in Ontario, home is a long-term care community. Each long-term care home is a unique community of residents, family members, friends, staff, administrators, nurses, and support workers. While the locations, room layouts, cultural communities, and other factors we consider when selecting housing may differ from home to home, long-term care homes are fundamentally connected by their responsibilities to, and the rights of, those in their care. One such right is the right for residents’ families and friends in each long-term care home to have a family council. A family council is a group of family members and friends of the residents of a long-term care home who voluntarily meet for peer support, education, and to advocate for the improvement of their loved one’s care, home, and community. Family Council members and caregivers are often the backbones of the long-term care communities, providing hundreds of hours of unpaid care that extends to meet fundamental care needs and the emotional needs of residents. These same council members and caregivers often take it upon themselves to organize meetings, request information, research policy and procedure, and attend information sessions—all to better support their loved ones living in long-term care.   https://www.globalheroes.com/family-councils-ontario-connecting-care/

This Father’s Day, share the love with all the fathers in your life with gifts that give back! In this Father’s Day gift guide, browse through companies that support community initiatives and give back to charitable causes and efforts. From cozy socks to local coffee, the dads in your life will adore these charitable gifts. No matter who you’re shopping for, these gifts are sure to keep on giving.   https://www.globalheroes.com/fathers-day-gift-guide-gifts-that-give-back/