Celebrating Our Place - on the front lines in downtown TO

Last week, Barry Brown spoke to a number of employees here about the fantastic work being done at his ShareLife-funded agency - Our Place.

Our Place, Community of Hope, is a drop-in centre in the heart of downtown Toronto, providing a safe, welcoming environment for people with chronic mental illnesses. Barry, his staff and volunteers, have eaked out a space in the middle of a tough and busy city where people are accepted as they are.

He told us the story of one community member who has struggled with drug and alcohol addictions since he was a young teen. With the support of the Our Place community, counselling and some advocacy, he found the strength to kick his addictions. Today, he speaks to young people who are at risk of becoming addicts themselves - he's turned his life around and is trying to stop kids from following in his very worn and weary footsteps.

These simple, often heart-breaking, stories like Barry's represent just one of thousands of such successes (wonders, really) happening every day with the help of ShareLife funding.

I'm truly thankful for Barry and people like him - the people on the front lines, who are changing lives for the better every day. And I'm happy to be able to help them through my own work and through my donations.