On May 15th, I walked into the CAA Centre for my very first Brampton Honey Badgers game.

And almost instantly, I felt emotion rush over me.

Pride.
Gratitude.
Reflection.
And what can only be described as a true full-circle moment.

Not simply because I love sport, although I absolutely do.

But because this building, this community, and this moment carried a story nearly two decades in the making.

It brought me back to when my son Blake was just 13 years old.

I remember the conversation vividly.

We were driving in the car when he turned to me and said:

“Mom, you know how you love helping people, raising money, and doing charitable work? I want to start my own foundation.”

He had a vision that was crystal clear.

He wanted to create a charity event for kids, by kids.

He even knew exactly what he wanted the logo to look like, a heart with a handprint in the middle.

And there was a reason for that.

Years earlier, our daycare provider Pam Loree had unknowingly left an imprint on his heart. She wasn’t simply someone who watched children while parents worked. She became an influential figure in my children’s lives during those deeply impressionable years when children begin forming their understanding of kindness, belonging, and community.

She used to paint the children’s hands and place their handprints on her cupboard doors downstairs. Such a simple act. But to a child, it meant they mattered. They belonged. They were seen.

That feeling stayed with Blake.

So when he envisioned “Kids with Heart,” the heart represented compassion and giving back, while the handprint represented the lasting imprint we leave on one another’s lives.

As a parent, my immediate reaction was practical.

I was thinking, do you know how much work it takes to organize an event?

But then I looked at him.

His vision was sincere.
His passion was real.
And sometimes, when someone believes deeply in something good, you don’t shut it down.

You breathe belief into it.

So we leaned in.
And Kids with Heart was born.

At the time, Blake had also just started working at what was then called the Powerade Centre, now the CAA Centre.

At the same time, I had been invited to emcee a charity golf tournament supporting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peel. The keynote speaker that day was none other than Michael 'Pinball' Clemons.

On the day of the tournament, it was raining, causing a delay in the tournament, and unexpectedly, that delay created space for conversation.

I told Pinball how excited my husband and son were that he was there. I was so struck by his generosity as he graciously took time to speak with me about family, sport, community and the importance of giving back.

He signed a football for Blake and then said something I will never forget:

“When I’m done here, I’m going to stop by and meet my new friend Blake.”

I honestly thought he was joking.

He wasn’t.

In true Pinball fashion, that evening after his keynote, Michael 'Pinball' Clemons made a visit to our home.

He gathered Blake, his sister Carley,his friend and my husband together on our back deck and spoke to them with sincerity, humility, and heart. He talked about discipline, the pain of regret, leadership, family, hard work, failure, and the importance of giving back to your community. They threw a football around in our yard and memories were cemented for life.

But more importantly, he embodied every word he spoke.

And what he didn’t realize in that moment was this:

He planted a seed in a young boy that would have a lasting impression and reinforced the importance of giving back, leadership, and community.

Just days later, Blake came to me with another clear vision.

He wanted to organize a fundraising carnival in downtown Brampton.
He wanted bouncy castles.
Dunk tanks.
Entertainment.
T-shirts.
Community involvement.

And he wanted the proceeds to support the Michael Pinball Clemons Foundation.

So we got to work.

That event became a tremendous success. Thousands of dollars were raised. The community came together. Local young performers entertained the crowd on a stage, Toronto Argonaut players like the legendary quarterback Damon Allen attended and yes, Pinball showed up and made the day even more meaningful.

I remember standing back that day in awe.

Not because everything went perfectly.
Not because it was easy.
But because it reminded me what becomes possible when people lean into purpose, courage, and community.

Blake went on to continue raising money for charitable causes and even received a City of Brampton Citizen Award recognizing his leadership and community involvement at such a young age.

Meanwhile, he continued working at the Powerade Centre.

Was it glamorous work?

Absolutely not.

He was cleaning.
Doing maintenance.
Working behind the scenes.
Learning responsibility.
Learning teamwork.
Learning what it means to contribute to something bigger than yourself.

When I walked back into that same building to watch Blake now serve as Director of Revenue Generation for the Brampton Honey Badgers.

Full circle.

For me, this full-circle moment was layered with even deeper meaning because Brampton has been more than simply the city where I raised my family.

It was home to my life’s work for more than 30 years.
As a business owner and healthcare professional in Brampton for over three decades, I’ve had the privilege of not only building a clinic and serving patients, but also becoming deeply integrated into the business community, charitable initiatives, and local social service organizations that help shape the heart of this city.

So many of my most meaningful memories were built through community partnerships, fundraising events, advocacy work, local leadership, and supporting causes that mattered deeply to the people who live here.

That’s why walking back into the CAA Centre felt emotional in ways I didn’t fully expect.

Because it wasn’t just about basketball.

And it wasn’t just about watching my son in a leadership role.

It was about seeing the evolution of community.

It was about reflecting on decades of showing up, contributing, building relationships, supporting local organizations, and believing deeply in the importance of creating experiences that bring people together.

And now, years later, to watch my son helping lead the business growth and community experience of the Brampton Honey Badgers in that very same building where he once worked as a teenager, in the same city where I built my own career rooted in service and community, it felt incredibly meaningful.

It reminded me that leadership, contribution, and community impact don’t happen overnight.

They are built moment by moment.

Relationship by relationship.

Experience by experience.

And often, without even realizing it, we are planting seeds that continue growing long after the moment itself has passed.

Of course I’m proud of his professional accomplishments.

But what fills my heart most is the human being he has become.

The same is true for my daughter Carley, who is now beginning a meaningful new chapter with Cancer Assistance Halton Hills, another purpose-driven role rooted in helping people and serving community.

As parents, we spend so much time wondering:
Did we teach the right things?
Did they absorb what mattered most?
Did they learn that success is about more than achievement?

And last night, sitting in that arena surrounded by sport, energy, excitement, and community spirit, I realized something deeply important:

Success is not only measured by titles, revenue, awards, or recognition.

Success is raising humans who care, humans who contribute, humans who understand that leadership is rooted in service.

When I sold my clinic four years ago and launched PHAM — the Preventative Health Awareness Movement, many people questioned the vision. It was bold, ambitious and quite frankly a bit scary as the mission behind the movement is daunting. I fully recognize that changing the legacy of healthcare in a country is complex, BUT we CAN lean in, do the work and help ignite and contribute to the change we want to see in the system.

I believed then, just as I believe even more now, that when people lean into purpose and work collaboratively in community, extraordinary things happen.

That is true in healthcare.
It is true in sport.
It is true in leadership.
And it is true in life.

Friday night reminded me of the incredible power of community experiences.

Sport matters.
Community matters.
People matter.

And we never truly know how one moment of kindness, encouragement, collective experience or belief may forever shape someone else’s life.

My heart is very full today.❤️