Grahame Woods' Story
When asked to write a short essay for MAOCP , a question was posed;" Who am I and what prompted me to want to raise money for AIDS/HIV orphans in Mzuzu?" The immediate, easy answer to who I am is that I'm a retired mental-health counsellor and former television playwright who lives in Cobourg with his wife Glorya, writes a bi-weekly column for Northumberland Today, belongs to the Cobourg Poetry Workshop, volunteers at the hospital with Glorya and attends St. Peter's Church, but not on a regular basis.
Giving the question deeper thought, I came to realize I'm someone who came to Canada and, over the years, discovered himself; only I wasn't conscious of it until I retired and had time to think about it.What truly focused me was a heart attack and subsequent bypass surgery eight years ago. In another life, I was also a cinematographer for the CBC, shooting documentaries that took me around the world, with a great deal of time spent in various African countries. I mention this because, a few years ago, I heard Colin Turnpenny give an illustrated presentation about one of his trips to Mzuzu, telling of AIDS/HIV orphans, their meagre lives of sparse opportunity, of sickness and in many cases, premature death, his images recalling my own experiences. His words stayed with me, parked in a compartment of my mind.
All it took was a letter to Canon Peter Walker suggesting a Classical Star competition as a Mzuzu fund-raiser. Peter put me in touch with Heather Godfrey. We hunkered down to try to make it work. Seven months later on a cool November evening, the finalists played to a packed church and $2000 was realized.
Cobourg is a great town for cycling. When Glorya and I moved here from Morganston ten years ago, cycling became part of our summer routine. After 2002 it became an integral part of my cardio-rehab, averaging 2300k each summer. It was during one of my rides in early spring of 2008 that it occurred to me that I should put my cycling to even better use. I had an idea. Why not have people sponsor me to raise money for Northumberland Hills Hospital? For me it was a way of saying thank you to the hospital where,at it's original home on Chapel Street, my life was saved following a heart attack. I called it Thanks for Life Ride. It raised a lot of money. Fast forward that to 2010. I had an idea. Why not do it again, this time to help the Mzuzu feeding and clothing program?
Which is how my 1000 Miles For Mzuzu came to pass. There was one small but important change around the 500 mile mark. I learned from Colin that students going into high school in Mzuzu have to pay tuition fees. No money? Then no school. It was information that excited me, gave me a focus. I pledged to raise $2000 to send five students to school for one year. It was something tangible, providing an additional incentive, Five young people will have an opportunity to reach for a future- as I did when I stepped onto Canadian soil for the very first time on that journey of discovery. It's a great feeling.
Giving the question deeper thought, I came to realize I'm someone who came to Canada and, over the years, discovered himself; only I wasn't conscious of it until I retired and had time to think about it.What truly focused me was a heart attack and subsequent bypass surgery eight years ago. In another life, I was also a cinematographer for the CBC, shooting documentaries that took me around the world, with a great deal of time spent in various African countries. I mention this because, a few years ago, I heard Colin Turnpenny give an illustrated presentation about one of his trips to Mzuzu, telling of AIDS/HIV orphans, their meagre lives of sparse opportunity, of sickness and in many cases, premature death, his images recalling my own experiences. His words stayed with me, parked in a compartment of my mind.
All it took was a letter to Canon Peter Walker suggesting a Classical Star competition as a Mzuzu fund-raiser. Peter put me in touch with Heather Godfrey. We hunkered down to try to make it work. Seven months later on a cool November evening, the finalists played to a packed church and $2000 was realized.
Cobourg is a great town for cycling. When Glorya and I moved here from Morganston ten years ago, cycling became part of our summer routine. After 2002 it became an integral part of my cardio-rehab, averaging 2300k each summer. It was during one of my rides in early spring of 2008 that it occurred to me that I should put my cycling to even better use. I had an idea. Why not have people sponsor me to raise money for Northumberland Hills Hospital? For me it was a way of saying thank you to the hospital where,at it's original home on Chapel Street, my life was saved following a heart attack. I called it Thanks for Life Ride. It raised a lot of money. Fast forward that to 2010. I had an idea. Why not do it again, this time to help the Mzuzu feeding and clothing program?
Which is how my 1000 Miles For Mzuzu came to pass. There was one small but important change around the 500 mile mark. I learned from Colin that students going into high school in Mzuzu have to pay tuition fees. No money? Then no school. It was information that excited me, gave me a focus. I pledged to raise $2000 to send five students to school for one year. It was something tangible, providing an additional incentive, Five young people will have an opportunity to reach for a future- as I did when I stepped onto Canadian soil for the very first time on that journey of discovery. It's a great feeling.