Edmonton: I know you, love you and I am your ambassador!

YWCA Women of Distinction (WoD) 2009 was a wonderful honour and experience

Debra is a lifelong learner, passionate community volunteer and supporter. Although she is not originally from Edmonton she is proud to call Edmonton home “by love and by choice.” While recovering from serious personal and professional ordeals, Debra became a tireless worker for women’s rights and an educator at the ground level. She exemplifies the willingness to tutor, educate and empower women, and volunteers with the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton (SACE) to help other women recover from traumatic events. Debra plans to never grow up, never stop learning and dreaming and believes that life is too short to just do a job. Family, friends, volunteering, mentoring, contributing and fun is her motto. Debra loves and lives this motto every day and in any way she can.

This was my bio in tonight’s program. It is factually correct but in my obviously biased view it does not fully convey my “Turning Point”, which was the category I was nominated in.

Five years ago when I was functionally catatonic, when I was so mired in pain and in the acute/crisis stage of my post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) I did not know how I was going to survive let alone thrive ever again.

What I knew then and what I never lost sight of was that by being a part of the community, that volunteering and mentoring was the only way I was ever going to see any hope or good in the world ever again.

I am humbled to be nominated. That anyone would think I have made any difference in the community is incredible.

Tammy MacDonald who started Hair Massacre when her youngest daughter was diagnosed with cancer was who I was cheering for in my category and I am truly glad she won as I felt she deserved it. To Tammy (and ALL the other nominees, winners all of us) I say congratulations and thank you for making such huge differences in the community. The world is a better place because of you, because you care and have the willingness and determination to make life better for others.

These are my personal most favourite accolades that I have received in the last few years.

From my first mentee/little sister “Thank you Debra for being my friend.”

From some of the people I have spoken to on the SACE crisis line, “thank you” and “thank you, when I called I did not know how I was going to go on, I had no hope. Now I realize that things are bad but that I am not a victim but a survivor. That being a survivor is something to be proud of.”

Yes, thank you means more to me than anything. Certainly it is wonderful to be acknowledged but I am most proud of being a friend and of being a survivor.