This year has been a special year of looking back on the past 55 years of serving the needs of our community. And we couldn’t have sustained the social safety net that SOS represents to our community all these years without our volunteers, Thrift Shop donors, and the financial support from individuals, businesses and groups. It is because of community that we are able to move forward as a community.
And one of the most remarkable examples of community was this past June when we were honoured to have Tom Jackson perform at our 55th Legacy Concert held at the Berwick Theatre in Parksville. Jackson, who has been honoured with several achievements, including the 2007 Juno and Gemini Humanitarian Awards and the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, to name a few, is extraordinarily passionate about creating change, especially for those who are disenfranchised. And he certainly left his mark on this community. You’ll learn more about what I mean when you read on.
With permission, we are sharing this article written by Paul Ruffell, SOS Board Chair which encapsulates so perfectly the gift that Tom’s presence left behind – a message for us to always look out for one another.
Paul Ruffell & Tom Jackson
“I’ll admit that I didn’t know who Tom Jackson was. Perhaps I haven’t watched my quota of CBC television, but he had somehow missed my attention over my forty years living in Canada.
Anyway, why this lapse is important to this tale is that one of my jobs last summer was to be his road manager during his trip to Oceanside for our Legacy Concert. To be fair to those who made this assignment, they didn’t know that I was likely the only person in Canada who didn’t know who Tom was.
However, they didn’t have to worry because by the time I got to the airport there was already a throng of people surrounding a tall handsome guy with a guitar case. What they were saying was remarkable – several told him that he had “changed their lives” or that he was a “hero” from their childhood. Everyone was lining up for selfies with him and, ever the gracious star, Tom was patiently obliging. Turns out that this was a pretty common occurrence throughout his visit and his wife Alison and I simply waited while he hugged pretty well everyone in the Terminal.
Another thing that I learned about Tom is that he quite often goes walking on his own in strange cities to meet the people who live on the streets. Turns out Tom spent many years living rough on the streets of Winnipeg himself and he feels an affinity with those who he meets there. Alison alerted me that he may disappear for hours at a time, so any schedule that I may have had for him would be subject to amendment dependent on who he met on his walkabout. She called it “Tom being Tom”.
Tom told me that the worst indignity of living rough (among so many) was that many people choose to ignore those who are there, preferring to avert their attention elsewhere. In Biblical terms he said, they ”pass by on the other side”. He preferred to give them the dignity of engagement.
This experience with Tom caused me to think about what you are doing by supporting SOS – you too are refusing to pass by those in need. Your contributions large and small make a real difference in the lives of so many of your neighbours who need your help. Like Tom, you are engaging with their problems and doing something about them.
I got to spend three days with Tom and watched him captivate the many people around him. I won’t say that he “changed my life”, but he surely caused me to reflect on my impact on others. Turns out “Tom being Tom” is contagious.”
With sincere gratitude,
Susanna Newton
SOS Executive Director
P.S. Communities are not the buildings or structures that house the people. Communities are the people – those who are unified in their belief that for a community to be truly great, it needs to be great for everyone.
