Eden Macdonald

Eden MacDonald started AIM International Aid Society in January 2005 after witnessing the devastation of the tsunami on television. She had been in Sri Lanka in for a couple months before the tsunami hit in 2004 and experienced the genuine kindness and openness of its people. Her life-changing journey is the inspiration for the work that AIM has undertaken over the past three years. Recent projects include the reconstruction and daily operation of two nutrition centers on the East Coast of Sri Lanka, the area most severely affected by the tsunami and suffering in the wake of renewed conflict between the LTTE and government forces. The Society’s most ambitious project to date is the construction of a Children’s Village in the southern part of the country near Galle. Work has already begun on a nutrition centre for the children in the area.
AIM International Aid Society embodies Eden’s passion for humanitarian work and projects that improve people’s lives. She has combined her interest in wellness and yoga with this and other pursuits. Most recently, Eden was named the Program Coordinator for KindActs, an organization that promotes changing the world one kind act at a time.

Minke de Vos

Follow Minke de Vos, a spiritual teacher and dancer, as she journeys from her deathbed, to heart transplant, to radiant health! She will tell of her remarkable recovery from a divorce, overwork and a severe life threatening illness and heart transplant in April 2004. Alternative healing was her lifestyle and western medicine saved her life. Her friends’ kindness was awesome.. Love transformed her life. It is her intimate knowledge and experience with the ancient healing arts that supports her rise to greater health and happiness. (Be sure to read her full story of her heart transplant and recovery link)
A short video of her docudrama, “Heart of a Dancer" will be shown. This video is a moving tapestry of personal story, perennial philosophy, energy awareness and creative expression, which demonstrates the transformative power of the Inner Smile, love and positive thinking.Minke de Vos, Senior Inner Alchemy Instructor, teaches Universal Tao Yoga, Chi Kung and Meditation and has worked along side of Taoist Master Mantak Chia as a for over 20 years. She co-founded Silent Ground retreat centre in remote BC and dedicated herself to full-time meditative practice. Intensive retreats stirred spontaneous Kundalini energy awakenings. She now facilitates workshops internationally.She has extensive training in movement arts, including Eurythmy. Her Chant Dance brings alive the poetry, song and beauty that lives in all beings. Minke has an enormous range of energetic and spiritual skills and a reputation as one of the top teachers of qigong, healing, and women's sexuality. She passionately devotes herself to our collective evolution by empowering individuals to live a vital, loving, creative and compassionate life.
www.silentground.com

Cheif Leanne Joe

Chief Leanne is a descendent of the Coast Salish (Squamish) and Kwak-waka’wakw (Comox Valley) communities. She is a Hereditary Chief of the Squamish Nation and carries the family name of Sxwpilemaát Siyám and a Kwakw’ala family name of Q-Gwee-Sea-Louq.  Chief Leanne works for her Nation full-time but her greatest accomplishment is being a mother to her one year old son.

As a young leader in her community, she is very aware of the current Aboriginal issues and concerns her community is facing on a local, regional and national scale.  Self respect, awareness and empowerment are a large part of the movement towards Aboriginal self-governance in her community.  Her personal endeavours include sports, family, friends, learning, participation in community events and cultural ceremonies, volunteering and living one moment at a time.  She is a very passionate and resilient individual who is committed to working with others to keep her circle strong and continue the movement towards self-reliance.

Rex Weyler

Rex Weyler is a journalist and ecologist. He was a cofounder of Greenpeace International in 1979 and editor of the Greenpeace Chronicles. He is the author of Blood of the Land, a history of the American Indian Movement (New Society, 1997), Greenpeace: The Inside Story (Raincoast, 2004) and Song of the Whale (Doubleday, 1986). He is a co-author of Chop Wood, Carry Water: A Guide to Finding Spiritual Fulfillment in Everyday Life. His photographs and essays have appeared in books, magazines, and newspapers including the New York Times, Rolling Stone, and National Geographic. His next book, The Jesus Sayings: The quest for his authentic teachings, will be out in March 2008 from Anansi Press. He can be reached at www.rexweyler.com.

Don Kirchner

Don Kirchner is the founder of High Ground Productions, Inc. As author of the book, "A Matter Of Time", and founder of Return To Honor, he provides the inspiration and dedication to the entire RTH and HGP team to bring about personal freedom and awakening through stories, books and films that uplift the human spirit and that exemplify personal courage and heroism.Don attended Colorado State University before joining the U.S. Army and serving a tour of duty in Vietnam as a Chief Warrant Officer and combat helicopter pilot. Convicted in 1981 for his involvement with a marijuana smuggling operation in Florida and New Mexico, Don earned unprecedented commendations from his work in prison with other inmates. His first-hand experiences with inmates of all ages in federal prison inspired Don to address the desperate need for a support system for inmates upon release from prison.Don travels extensively as a public speaker and writer, and teaches principles of responsible attitudes to business groups, corporate training workshops, inmates, correctional officers and law enforcement officials. He currently lives in Washington State, near Vancouver, BC.

Lora Kwandibens

Lora Kwandibens is an Ojibwa woman who has faced adversity since before her birth. Born outside Collins in Ontario, her family was involved in an alcoholic, violent lifestyle. Lora has a son of 18 months who she is currently fighting to regain custody of after the Ministry of Child and Family seized him from her almost a year ago. Lora’s criminal history and prior gang affiliation is contributing to the gap in communication and understanding with the Social Workers.
Lora is currently in a transition house in the Fraser Valley as her previous partner is a threat to her safety. She is a role model for determination; she has never given up hope or the fight to regain her child. She is constantly concerned for the well-being and support of women in similar situations to hers and is particularly interested in helping women who are feared and misunderstood even by the service providers available to women to in crisis

Antonio Joao

Antonio Joao arrived in North Vancouver on the fifth of September 2001. He was a stowaway on the MV Dynasty; a cargo ship crewed with a Philippian crew. Antonio had tried to meet with Immigration personally in China, Japan, and Singapore but had been rebuffed wherever the ship had docked. Antonio hoped that Canada would be different and he did his best to get an appointment with the Canadian officials in Canada. The Immigration officials assured him they would see him in four days. It was to prove another set back. The Dynasty was scheduled to leave harbor in two days. A crew member alerted Antonio to that double cross. Antonio, knowing his fate if returned to Africa dismantled the port hole of his cabin prison and at midnight escaped from the ship. Thus began the odyssey of Antonio trying to understand the Refugee system in Canada and to remain strong and fight long and hard to be permitted to stay in Canada and to be allowed to attend school and to earn a living. Antonio has attained great success in his endeavors and his journey and his success is sometimes troubling and oftentimes upsetting, and always worth hearing about.

Mayor Sam Sullivan

Since accepting the Olympic Flag at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, Sam Sullivan has become one of the world’s most recognized mayors.Mayor Sullivan is a recipient of the nation’s highest honour, the Order of Canada, for his community service on behalf of marginalized people. He is the founder of six non-profit organizations that have improved the lives of thousands of North Americans with disabilities.After being elected to Vancouver City Council in 1993, Sullivan served as a Councillor for 12 years. He was elected Mayor in November 2005.

.A believer in life-long learning, Mayor Sullivan has devoted himself to studying a broad range of topics. He obtained a Business Administration degree from Simon Fraser University and has also taught himself the basics of several languages including Cantonese.He is an avid sailor using a specially designed boat he helped to create, and also enjoys hiking in the Coast and Rocky Mountains using an assistive device he co-invented.Mayor Sullivan’s achievements are noteworthy due to the fact that they were accomplished since he became a quadriplegic after breaking his neck in a skiing accident at the age of 19.

Carling Muir

On Nov.20, 2006, just about a month after her 19th birthday,Carling suffered 2 grand mal seizures while practicing at langara college, where she plays for the women's basketball team.  SheI was rushed to emergency, where she was informed that doctors had found a malignant tumor the size of a large egg in the left lobe of her brain and she would be going into surgery within 2 days to remove as much a possible. Unfortunatly they could only remove a little then less the tumor and she was going to have to undergo 12 rounds of chemotherapy.  The chemo was extremly harsh on her body and mind. She was up many nights so violently sick that all the blood vessels in her eyes would pop It also lowered her immune system so she caught strep throat 7 times throughout her treatment, countless body rashes, scarelett fever and mouth uclers which made it so that she was unable to eat for a month causing her to drop just over 20 pounds. One of the main things that kept her will to keep strong through this was her desire to get back on the court and be a stronger player then she was before. She trained hard throughout the summer while still undergoing chemo treament and decided she was ready to come back to school and play on the team again in september. For the first three months of season shei played while still undergoing treatment and was able to lead the league in scoring all year and 3rd in rebounds.

Kelly Murphy

Kelly Murphy is a woman who has arisen out of abuse and adversity  who is now passionately involved in helping other women find their voice and rise up out of their own oppressive circumstances.

While incarcerated in 2005 Kelly began participation in  the "Women Into Healing" research project  which seeks to collaborate with women as they are being released into the community and  to improve their health during that process.  Since being released in 2007 Kelly has been the Peer Research Co-ordinator of the project at UBC Family Practice.

Kelly currently lives in Women of Hope, a Christian transition residence for women rebuilding their lives where she offers the strength of her own experience of coming out of adversity into hope through faith in God.