I am my brother’s keeper; incredible community commitment

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” Galatians 5:13 (King James Version)

I have learned that sometimes in life it is about being in the right place at the right time. I was on my way to the Jane and Finch area, and I usually take a back road to get there. Torbarrie Rd runs alongside Highway 400 in Toronto, Ontario, and it allows you to miss all of the heavy traffic that can sometimes build up on the roads. With a million things to do on my Saturday, the plan was to head to Jane and Finch, complete my community work for the day, and then head back home and get work done; the universe had another plan for me.

As I came around the corner, I began to see a lot of cars, and then I saw a bouncy castle, lots of people, and hmmmmmm, the wonderful smell of barbeque. I decided to pull in to see what was happening and realized that I had stumbled on a great story. I parked the car and wandered over. I was greeted with beaming smiles and a group of volunteers wearing red shirts. “I.A.M.B.K, “I read out loud, “What does this stand for,” I asked the young lady who was now walking over to me. “It stands for I Am My Brother’s Keeper,“ she said with a welcoming smile on her face. “Myself and a group of extraordinary community members have been putting on this event since 2013; it is our way of giving back to the community.” she continued.

She had linked arms with me and was softly guiding me towards the food section. “What are you doing here today,” I asked, trying to avoid the barbeque smell the best I could. “Well, we have around 170 children registered to arrive today. When the families come, we feed them, provide some activities for them throughout the day, and then at the end, all the registered children will walk away with a knapsack filled with school starter essentials: pack of pencils, pens, markers, paper, you know all those things that parents are going to have to start picking up in the next few weeks.”

“That is incredible,” I replied, “Do you only service this area?” “Oh no! We have families in: North York, Toronto, Scarborough, Markham, Peel Region, and the Durham Region. Our community is anyone who needs help and are willing to come and get it.” “I am sorry,” I laughed, “I did not even get your name.” “My name is Tricia Morris, and I am the Director of I Am My Brother’s Keeper. I could not do any of this without the support of some wonderful organizations and people. This church is my church, and it is called Faith Worship Centre. Co-ordinating this event with me is my Co-Director Suzette Blake-Johnson, along with our Secretary Dahlia Watson, and we have a fine group of members from Faith Worship Centre helping us out. It is a lot of work, and we couldn’t do it alone.”

“You must have some sponsors; this seems like a very large project.” “Oh yes! Our community is growing, and we have some wonderful people who continue to reach out to help us each year. I personally want to thank a few of them if you don’t mind,” Tricia asked. “No, please do,” I responded. “Well, I want to thank Gary Shapiro from Shapiro Real Estate and Business Lawyers, Faith Worship Centre, Rev. Joyce & Dudley Bent, Woodcraft Stairs & Railings Ltd, and Maple Lodge Farms who have donated every year without question. This year I also want to thank Omega Magica Fun for providing us with the bouncy castle for the young ones.”

“I am so thankful to you for taking some time out for me today Tricia.” “No problem Simone, thank you for coming by. I want to give you a special invitation to our Free Christmas Dinner being held on December 14^th, 2019. It is a pyjama party theme for kids, and their will be free gifts for children ages 0 -15 years. Let people know that they can register by emailing us at IAMBK@MYFWC.CA. Now, let’s get you over to that barbeque; I see that you have been eyeing it since you got here“ Trish laughed. “Oh, lord! I guess I was that obvious; thank you again.”

You never know what you will find happening in the city of Toronto, all you have to do is get out there in your communities; I am so glad I drove by on Saturday.