William’s Story – A Habit of Community Service

William’s story with Friends In Deed began back in 1999 when he was working at Grandview Foundation as a drug and alcohol counselor. One of his coworkers was an overnight staffer at Friends In Deed’s Bad Weather Shelter. He invited William to join the BWS staff – and so William, already working full time at Grandview, studying, and with four small children at home, took on several nights a week at the Bad Weather Shelter as well!

As a kid himself (picture attached) William and his mom took part in the opening ceremonies of the Paralympic Games. He also got involved with social outreach at his church, and was a “Royal Ranger” (similar to Boy Scouts). So he says the habit of community service was ingrained in him at a young age, and he’s never lost the habit.

Given the commitment he showed to the Bad Weather Shelter program, it’s not surprising that, when they needed a new director, William was invited to take on the job. And then, when Friends In Deed began setting up its Street Outreach and Housing team, William played a role in helping set that up as well. Eventually a suitable position became available and – having been associated with FID for two decades – William finally became a full-time member of staff. 

These days, William works as our Senior Intensive Case Management Specialist. Even after clients have been housed by Friends In Deed, many of them still need support – learning to budget, finding resources like their closest food banks, signing up for benefits they may not have been aware they were eligible for, finding a doctor, getting back in the job market, and, often, simply learning how to live indoors again, and how to be a good neighbor. William sometimes uses his wife’s copy of  the classic 1946 children’s book “How to Behave and Why” as a primer: “Anywhere you go with a smile and a wish to like people, you will find someone who will be glad to see you” (Munro Leaf).