Hope Blooms


Canada has a thing called Statutory Holidays or Stats as they are commonly referred.  It seems funny just saying that.   A mandatory rest time.  Seems a little counterproductive.  I don`t agree that we should be given a work day off to commemorate Remembrance Day if it falls on a weekend.  I think Remembrance Day shouldn`t be trivialized by making it just another Stat. 

However, one of the worst things about a Stat is finding something to watch on early morning television.  All I could find this morning was a re-run of Dragon`s Den.  I can`t believe my good fortune.

There was a group of children on from Hope Blooms out of Halifax.   These particular pre-teens were identified as at risk kids.  There story is nothing more than extraordinary.   Their motto is when you change the way you look a things; the things you look at change.  I know most adults spend a lifetime trying to learn this lesson and these kids have mastered this.

An inner-city Dietitian in Halfax was frustrated trying to teach the community about good eating habits when they were unable to afford fresh produce.   She got a group of kids and other community members to get Halifax to give them a worthless vacant piece of land covered with trash and weeds.  They cleaned this land themselves and made a community garden which consists of vegetables and herbs.  From the herbs, they created 4 different salad dressings that they sold at markets, etc, for $7.00 per bottle.  Out of the this money, $1 goes into an education fund for the children to pursue post-secondary education when they were able.  Check out their website at Hope Blooms to find out even more of their tremendous success and what they have done for their community.  It is truly amazing.  I will give you one tip, though.  Please have kleenex ready before you read their story.  You will need it.

The reason that they approached the Dragon`s was that they were only able to produce their product 3 months of the year.  They were asking for $10,000 loan so that they could purchase green houses in order to keep up the demand for their product.  They planned to pay this investment back from their sales. 

The first Dragon to respond was Kevin O`Leary.  You may remember Kevin running for the leadership of the Conservative Party and then withdrawing when he felt it wasn`t a sure thing for him to win.   The parallels to him and Donald Trump are many.  Kevin announced that since he had no chance of making money on the deal, that he was out.

The second Dragon to respond was David Chilton.  Chilton is best known for his best-seller The Wealthy Barber, a common sense guide to accumulating wealth and managing finances.  He said he would give the project $10,000 on one condition.  It would just be a straight gift and not a loan.  Chilton noted that an important part of wealth accumulation is the concept of giving back and he couldn`t think of a better project to support.  The children cheered and started crying.

Angie Dickinson was next.  She was already in tears and said she was also going to donate another $10,000.

Next was Bruce Croxon.  Bruce is a pretty macho guy.  His voice was shaking and he was fighting back tears.  He had a hard time coming up words.  He noted that he was going to make his two children watch this episode because he was so moved by this group.  He also donated another $10,000.

Finally, Jim Trelving spoke.  Not only was he also going to donate $10,000, he wanted to buy the entire stock of salad dressings that was available.

The four donating dragons joined the children.   Everyone was hugging, crying, and jumping up and down in joy.  It was amazing.  Truly an awe inspiring moment.

And then a flash to Kevin O`Leary sitting by himself.  It turns out the cheese stands alone.  If we are to believe his rhetoric, he makes million dollar deals every day.  $10,000 to him would be like a loonie to us mere mortals.  Yet, if he couldn`t make money, he wasn`t in.  Talk about a warped value of money.

Growing up, I was blessed with a father who gave me an allowance bigger than anyone of my friends.  He taught me that any money that I ever received, I can use a portion to spend, a portion to save, and a portion to give.  I would like to say that I have used this formula all through my life.   I haven`t and there have been times when I have been downright foolish with my money.  But, even when I did so, I have always kept that formula in my mind.

Somehow, I don`t think this will be the last time Kevin sits alone while everyone else celebrates.  I guess he hasn`t learned the important life lesson.  Somethings are worth more than money.  It is common sense but not common practice.  When you change the way you look at something, the thing you look at changes.

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