Early Morning Inspiration

Early mornings are tough, but for the guests who joined us for our Kottage Breakfast on May 24, a little bit of inspiration made getting up so early a little easier to swallow.

Guest speaker Ken Franczek is about as inspirational as they come. The GM of Crystal Glass Canada, Ken today seems far removed from the kid he used to be, living on the streets of Toronto from just before he turned 16 until he was 19 years old. That’s when he realized that he didn’t belong there, and started looking for a way out. It was through the help of organizations set up to assist the homeless get jobs, his own tenacity, and the kindness of the man who hired him and gave him a place to stay that set Ken’s life on a different path.

And after touring Kids Kottage, he began to think, how different would his story have been if an organization like the Kottage had existed in Toronto in those days, before he had ended up on the streets? What would have changed if his mother had had the courage to go to a place like Kids Kottage?

“You never forget those who help you,” Ken said at the Breakfast. “If you help one person and they help two people and so on and so on, you can’t change the world, but you can make it a whole lot better.”

For Ken, he has repaid the kindness paid to him exponentially through his philanthropic works, including supporting the Kottage Breakfast by becoming the title sponsor through Crystal Glass.

We also enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the Chateau Lacombe Hotel emceed by Thomas Lukaszuk and listened to Sofiya Chvojka and Kaeli Morris, two young singers with a gift for music. It was the perfect way to start the day, and we are so grateful to everyone who joined us, who volunteered for us, who donated to us.

Thank you Ken Franczek, Crystal Glass Canada, Thomas Lukaszuk, Sofiya and Kaeli, Amplomedia, Production World, the Chateau Lacombe, and everyone who donated to our auction or attended our breakfast.

Thank you for helping us keep kids safe.