MANY THANKS FOR THIS HONOUR TO THE CRIEC BOARD OF DIRECTORS, THE CRIEC TEAM, AND SARAH, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.

I AM GRATEFUL AND HUMBLED THAT MY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SUCCESS OF NEWCOMER PROFESSIONALS HAVE BEEN REMEMBERED.

HOWEVER, I BELIEVE THIS AWARD TRULY NEEDS TO HONOUR THOSE WHO CREATED THE BEDROCK FOUNDATION OF THIS ORGANIZATION – THE WARRIOR WOMEN WHO LED THE MARCH TO ENSURE NEWCOMER PROFESSIONALS WERE SEEN, HEARD AND APPRECIATED FOR THE GIFTS THEY BRING.

WITH THAT IN MIND, I WANT TO TELL YOU THEIR NAMES – NAMES THAT SHOULD BE RAISED UP AND THANKED EACH AND EVERY YEAR WE COMMENCE THIS AMAZING THRIVE CONFERENCE & WORKSHOP. THEY WERE THERE WHEN CRIEC WAS A COFFEE CONVERSATION; THEY WERE OUR 1^st BOARD OF DIRECTORS; AND THEY WERE OUR 1^st DEDICATED TEAM.

• AMAL UMAR – OUR SPIRITUAL GUIDE & ELDER
• DIANNE FEHR & JAMIE ENACHESCU – OUR EARLY DRIVING FORCES
• KAMAL SEHGAL, ELLEN DUNGEN & CHARLA VALL – OUR CHAMPIONS & STRONG ADVOCATES
• MARIE-FRANCE VARINS – OUR WONDERFUL MENTORING EXPERT
• JAYA DHARAN – OUR HEART & SOUL FOR SO MANY YEARS

CRIEC DEVELOPED ITS OWN WAYS OF KNOWING & BEING – THOSE VALUES & PRINCIPLES BY WHICH WE TRIED TO LIVE TRUE TO OUR VISION AND MISSION EVERY DAY.

WE WANTED TO BE:

• CLIENT-CENTRIC
• COURAGEOUS
• COLLABORATIVE
• LEAD WITH KINDNESS & STRENGTH OF CHARACTER
• TRUE ROLE MODEL BASED ON THE POWER OF “BON AMI” or “DOSHT” – BEING A FRIEND & GUIDE

CRIEC ESTABLISHED NEW NORMS IN THIS ECOSYSTEM ALONG THE WAY:

• TRUE & CARING 1-ON-1 MENTORING: BASED ON 2-WAY STRENGTH & RESPECT
• CO-HORT MENTORING WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
• SMARTCONNECTIONS: SMARTLY CONNECTING STAKEHOLDERS
• STAMPEDE 101
• BUILDING COMMUNITY, ONE PARTNER AT A TIME
• HANDS-ON CAREER PATH PLANNING

ULTIMATELY, WE SOUGHT TO HELP NEWCOMER PROFESSIONALS TELL THEIR OWN STORIES –

• TALES OF LIVED EXPERIENCES AND FUTURE DREAMS
• NARRATIVES OF OVERCOMING CHALLENGES
• SUCCESS BASED ON THEIR OWN MEASURE & EXPECTATIONS

I HAVE OFTEN TURNED TO THE WORDS OF OJIBWE WRITER RICHARD WAGAMESE TO REMIND ME WHY I MENTOR, WHY YOU MENTOR, WHY WE COLLECTIVELY MENTOR OUR BROTHERS & SISTERS. THE GREAT NOVELIST ONCE WROTE:

“ALL THAT WE ARE IS STORY. FROM THE MOMENT WE ARE BORN TO THE TIME WE CONTINUE ON OUR SPIRIT JOURNEY, WE ARE INVOLVED IN THE CREATION OF THE STORY OF OUR TIME HERE.

IT IS WHAT WE ARRIVE WITH. IT IS ALL WE LEAVE BEHIND. WE ARE NOT THE THINGS WE ACCUMULATE. WE ARE NOT THE THINGS WE DEEM IMPORTANT.

WE ARE STORY. ALL OF US. WHAT COMES TO MATTER THEN IS THE CREATION OF THE BEST POSSIBLE STORY WE CAN WHILE WE’RE HERE; YOU, ME, US, TOGETHER.

WHEN WE CAN DO THAT AND WE TAKE THE TIME TO SHARE THOSE STORIES WITH EACH OTHER, WE GET BIGGER INSIDE, WE SEE EACH OTHER, WE RECOGNIZE OUR KINSHIP – WE CHANGE THE WORLD, ONE STORY AT A TIME…”

― Richard Wagamese

I WILL LEAVE YOU WITH 2 THOUGHTS I HOPE YOU HOLD ONTO WHETHER YOU ARE A MENTEE, A MENTOR, A COMMUNITY PARTNER, A FUNDER, A TEAM MEMBER, A BOARD DIRECTOR OR A CHAMPION AND FRIEND OF CRIEC:

• 1^st IS THAT CRIEC IS NOT MERELY A COLLECTION OF PEOPLE AND PROGRAMS – IT IS AN EVER-GROWING FAMILY SHARING SIMILAR IDEALS & GOALS. YOU ARE IN INTEGRAL COMPONENT OF THIS FAMILY. HONOUR IT BY DOING YOUR VERY BEST EACH & EVERY DAY.
• 2^nd IS THAT WHILE WE ARE COMMITTED TO THE SUCCESS OF NEWCOMER PROFESSIONALS, THIS SUCCESS MUST BE BASED ON 2 OBJECTIVES:
  • SUCCESS MUST BE DEFINED BY NEWCOMER PROFESSIONALS THEMSELVES
  • YOU NEED TO REMEMBER YOU ARE PART OF A BIGGER STORY – ONE THAT SEEKS TO CONNECT PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES.

THIS IS THE LEGACY OF CRIEC – A FOUNDATION BUILT BY MANY PEOPLE, INCLUDING EACH & EVERY ONE OF YOU IN THIS ROOM THIS MORNING.

THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING ME WITH A FEW MOMENTS OF YOUR BUSY DAY TO THANK YOU ALL.

ALL MY RELATIONS.

BRUCE