Self-Esteem Seminars
P.O. Box 30880
Santa Barbara, CA USA 93130
Phone: 805-563-2935 • Fax: 805-563-2945
Web site: www.chickensoup.com
Who Is Mark Victor Hansen?
Mark Victor Hansen is a professional speaker who in the last twenty years has made over 4,000 presentations to more than 2 million people in thirty-two countries. His presentations cover sales excellence and strategies; personal empowerment and development; and how to triple your income and double your time off.
Mark has spent a lifetime dedicated to his mission of making a profound and positive difference in people’s lives. Throughout his career, he has inspired hundreds of thousands of people to create a more powerful and purposeful future for themselves while stimulating the sale of billions of dollars worth of goods and services.
Mark is a prolific writer and has authored Future Diary, How to Achieve Total Prosperity and The Miracle of Tithing. He is coauthor of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, Dare to Win and The Aladdin Factor (all with Jack Canfield), and The Master Motivator (with Joe Batten).
Mark has also produced a complete library of personal-empowerment audio and videocassette programs that have enabled his listeners to recognize and use their innate abilities in their business and personal lives. His message has made him a popular television and radio personality, with appearances on ABC, NBC, CBS, HBO, PBS and CNN. He has also appeared on the cover of numerous magazines, including Success, Entrepreneur and Changes.
Mark is a big man with a heart and spirit to match—an inspiration to all who seek to better themselves.
For further information about Mark, write:
MVH & Associates
P.O. Box 7665
Newport Beach, CA USA 92658
Phone: 949-759-9304 or 800-433-2314
Fax: 949-722-6912
Web site: www.chickensoup.com
Who Is Janet Matthews?
Janet Matthews (née Patterson) is a Canadian freelance writer and editor. After having spent the first twenty years of her professional life in Toronto’s fast-paced fashion photography and advertising industry, Janet was asked in 1997 by Raymond Aaron to help produce and edit Chicken Soup for the Parent’s Soul. When she was invited to coauthor Chicken Soup for the Canadian Soul, she jumped at the opportunity to use her unique skills and talents to help create this very special Canadian book. Janet says, “I’m so grateful for the opportunity both to speak to so many Canadians from all across the country and to help them tell their stories. I’ve been touched and inspired and moved to tears so many times.”
In addition to writing, editing and collecting Chicken Soup stories, Janet is working with Daniel Keenan to produce a book-sized version of “The Navy’s Baby,” a wonderfully inspiring story that appears in Chicken Soup for the Parent’s Soul. She is also compiling stories for a book on true spiritual experiences, life-changing awarenesses and miracles to be published in 2004. It will be a collection of stories to inspire and uplift spiritual seekers of all backgrounds.
After having read thousands of stories from parents all over the world for Parent’s Soul, and then thousands more from Canadians for Canadian Soul, Janet now teaches a workshop on how to write a great story from the heart. While seeking stories for Chicken Soup for the Canadian Soul, she has been a guest on numerous radio talk shows across Canada, and she is available for guest spots and interviews. You can contact Janet at:
Chicken Soup for the Canadian Soul
2–9225 Leslie Street
Richmond Hill, ON Canada L4B 3H6
905-881-8995, Ext. 28
[email protected] Who Is Raymond Aaron?
Raymond is a professional speaker and business coach, and coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Parent’s Soul. Since 1983, he has mentored thousands of Canadians to achieve brilliant new heights of entrepreneurial and investment success using his special proven principles.
Raymond offers his wisdom in The Monthly Mentor, a unique coaching service presented in Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. In it, Raymond will teach you how to double your income doing what you love. Following his guidance, his Monthly Mentor members have dramatically increased their net worth and income, most in a surprisingly short time.
Raymond has appeared on almost every major Canadian radio and TV talk show explaining how mentoring can improve your wealth. He has delivered over 4,000 seminars, inspiring and educating his audiences using his patented techniques for achieving outrageous success “automagically.”
Raymond’s speeches are powerful, enjoyable, educational, contrarian and lots of fun. His commanding and entertaining style offers practical insights and unique business tools not available anywhere else.
His most popular audiotape program is “Double Your Income Doing What You Love,” a double-cassette package selling for $199. One unique benefit of this tape set is you will learn how to eliminate all messes from your life. You can listen to it free at www.MonthlyMentor.com, or, as a special bonus, simply e-mail your credit card number and expiration date, and for $10.00 shipping, Raymond will mail it to you free of charge.
Raymond’s favorite motto is: “Bite off more than you can chew, then chew like crazy!”
To be mentored by Raymond, engage him as a speaker or obtain his audiotapes, please contact:
The Monthly Mentor
2–9225 Leslie Street
Richmond Hill, ON Canada L4B 3H6
1-888-50goals
[email protected] Contributors
Several of the stories in this book were taken from previously published sources, such as books, magazines and newspapers. These sources are acknowledged in the permissions section. If you would like to contact any of the contributors for information about their writing, or would like to invite them to speak in your community, look for their contact information included in their biography.
The remainder of the stories were submitted by readers of our previous Chicken Soup for the Soul books who responded to our requests for stories. We have also included information about them.
Jann Arden was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, and has become one of Canada’s most precious resources. Admired worldwide for her singing and songwriting, Jann is equally respected for her comedic and motivational speaking talents. With five hit CDs, a collection of awards and years of charity work—see for yourself. www.jannarden.com, www.worldvision.ca.
Sally Armstrong is a journalist and human-rights activist. Editor-in-chief of Homemaker’s Magazine from 1988 to 1999, she is presently editor-at-large for Chatelaine Magazine as well as a contributing editor at Maclean’s. She has been honoured by the National Magazine Awards Foundation for her writing, the YWCA’s Women of Distinction Award for communications, and in 1998 was made a member of the Order of Canada. In May 2002, Penguin books released her long-awaited book entitled Veiled Threat: The Hidden Power of Women of Afghanistan.
Jennifer Bailey was enrolled in a writing course when she was encouraged by her tutor to submit her story to Chicken Soup for the Soul. She enjoys reading as well as writing children’s stories and skits that are based on Biblical truths.
Paul Banks has been a journalist since 1995. Now living in Gander, Newfoundland, he is currently the manager/editor of Gander’s Beacon newspaper. A former editor of the Flamborough Review in Southern Ontario, he can be reached at
[email protected] Karin Bjerke-Lisle and husband Doug live on the West Coast of Canada. Along with their four children, Forrest, Brontë, Paige and newborn Hunter, they take great delight in the ocean and the mountains. Forrest made a full recovery and is a truly wonderful big brother. The family hopes to welcome a new Great Dane into their lives soon.
Maree Benoit received her early childhood education diploma from Cariboo College in 1978. Maree taught preschool in Williams Lake for many years until her retirement. She and her husband, Leo, travelled all over the world before settling in McLeese Lake.
Her main interest is providing good child care for all children. She can be reached at 250-297-6309.
Kurt Browning earned four World Figure Skating Championships and four Canadian Championships as an amateur skater. One of the best entertainers the sport has ever seen, when he turned professional in 1994 he won three consecutive World Professional and Canadian Professional Championships. Kurt has also released his own home video, “JUMP” and starred in three television specials. “You Must Remember This” won five Gemini Awards.
Linda Chamberlayne works as a special educator in Kelowna, British Columbia. She has also worked for Canadian publisher Wood Lake Books, writing church school curriculum and music for primary-aged children. Her book of songs and activities for church school, Joyful Noise, is available upon request at
[email protected] Katherine Cornell earned a B.A. in history from the University of Guelph and a M.A. in dance from York University. She cowrote one book and contributes to several magazines and anthologies. Katherine also teaches in the Learning Through the Arts Program. Please reach her at
[email protected] Faye Dance received her B.A. in applied arts from Ryerson University in Toronto in 1969. She has hosted many television shows and acted in commercials and movies. She and her husband, John Radford, have two sons, Jason, 20, and Mitchell, 14. She loves to read, work out, Rollerblade and spend time at the family cottage. Contact her through Sherrida Personal Management at 416-928-2323, or at
[email protected] Nancy Lee Doige lives in Aurora, Ontario, where she developed a national education program on transplantation and organ donation for grade five through eight students. The Classroom Connections “Gift of Life” Education Program is currently in 7,500 schools across Canada. Nancy draws on her education in family studies at Ryerson University, her work with children in elementary schools and her deeply moving experience when her son Ryan died. Visit her at www.classroom-connections.com or www.ryanshope.net.
Alex Domokos was born in 1921 in Szabadka, which was then in Hungary. He and his wife immigrated to Canada after the Hungarian Revolution. In the 1990s he returned to Hungary where five of his manuscripts were published. More recently, in Canada, two of his manuscripts were published by Crossroad Publisher as e-books. He now lives a modest and content life as a free man.
Peter Elliott is a Renaissance man with a strong passion for Canadian history and wilderness canoeing. He freelances as a video editor and cameraman in Toronto, but produces his own documentaries for television. Peter has worked as a living history animator, voyageur canoe guide and canoe ranger. He never stops. Contact him at
[email protected] Manuel Erickson received his B.A. from the University of Waterloo in 1974. Now retired, he owns a 1956 Cessna 172, writes, plays piano and surfs the Internet. His greatest love is for his life partner, Martha, to whom he has been married for over twenty years. Please contact him at
[email protected] Sharon Espeseth lives in Barrhead, Alberta, with her husband, Hank, and is the proud mother of three young adults—Michael, Christie and Jenny. After numerous years teaching and later developing courses for distance education, she is retiring. Sharon plans to enjoy her family, travel with her husband and further her career as a freelance writer. She may be reached at 4504 56th Avenue, Barrhead, Alberta T7N 1K2.
Trent Evans lives in Sherwood Park, Alberta, with his wife, Laurel, and their sons Justin and Jarret. He supervises the ice-making team at Northlands Park’s Skyreach Center. With all the continued attention around the loonie, Trent is currently working on an exciting new project. Stay tuned! You can reach Trent at
[email protected] Vince Fantauzzi was born in the small town of Sora, near Rome, Italy. At age fifteen he moved to Toronto, Ontario. Vince works as a letter carrier for Canada Post. In his free time he enjoys painting, reading, and writing short stories, and he is currently working on a full-length novel. He can be contacted at
[email protected] Penny Fedorczenko lives in Oshawa, Ontario. She has a B.A. in sociology and presently teaches public school. She is also the mother of two adult children. Penny enjoys travelling, writing, theatre, music and sports. She can be reached at
[email protected] Gregory Fouts is professor of psychology at the University of Calgary. His areas of expertise include how we become “attuned” with others and how we develop resilient personalities when faced with life’s challenges. Dr. Fouts is the recipient of awards for exceptional teaching and community service. He can be reached at
[email protected] Pat Fowler is a “people person.” Her pleasant, outgoing and assuring presence entices people of all ages to open up to her and share their experiences in life, both happy and sad. Check out her web site at http://www.geocities.com/cdnheroes/, or contact her at
[email protected] or at 780-464-7595.
Linda Gabris is a writer whose inspirational stories, articles and poetry have appeared in publications across North America and in England. She has been running creative and business writing workshops for over sixteen years and has a home-based writing consultant business. She can be reached by e-mail at
[email protected] Chief Dan George (1899–1981) was one of the most prominent First Nation Canadians. He dedicated his life to fostering awareness, understanding and friendship between the First Nations and white Canadian settlers. To all Vancouverites, Chief Dan George was known particularly for his moving and dramatically delivered soliloquies. Logger, musician, star of stage, screen and television, philosopher and advocate of the Indian cause—a very special kind of man! His book, My Spirit Soars, was published by Hancock House Publishing (1431 Harrison Avenue, Blaine, WA 98230-5005).
Lorrie Goldstein is the editor of The Toronto Sun. Veronika’s mother Julie Hanning, who delivered the toast at Leah and Veronika’s bat mitzvah, works as a professional model in Toronto.
Bill Gorman. Growing up in a small community on the edge of the Don Valley in Toronto, Bill Gorman and his friends spent many exciting days exploring the valley and looking for adventure. He now teaches elementary school in Toronto and shares his stories with his students.
Senator Jerry S. Grafstein, B.A., J.D., graduated from the University of Toronto Law School in 1958. Called to the Bar in 1960, he was made Queen’s Counsel in 1972. In 1984, Prime Minister Trudeau appointed him to the Senate. As Senator from Metro Toronto, he continued to act as counsel to Minden, Gross, Grafstein & Greenstein in Toronto. Currently he co-chairs the Canada/U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group, composed of Canadian Parliamentarians and Members of the U.S. Congress. You can reach him at
[email protected] Rick Hansen, C.C., O.B.C., lives with wife, Amanda, and three daughters in Vancouver, BC. He’s president and CEO of the Rick Hansen Institute and Foundation, which has generated more than $137 million for spinal cord injury programs, and works to accelerate the discovery of a cure for spinal cord injury. In demand as a speaker, he has coauthored two books, and chairs the Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society and the Pacific Salmon Endowment Fund Society. For more info, or to make a donation, please contact him at 604-822-4433 or via e-mail at www.rickhansen.org.
Jayne Harvey works as a mother, wife and registered nurse. Her passion for caring for seniors and writing about those experiences has launched a career as a motivational speaker for care providers, volunteers and chaplain groups. She plans to continue her writing and speaking endeavours. Please reach her at
[email protected] or at 157 Cedar Street, Keswick, Ontario, L4P 2J4, or by telephone at 905-476-1590.
Paul Henderson played in the NHL, first for the Detroit Red Wings and later for the Toronto Maple Leafs, from 1963 to 1974. He retired in 1979. He is now executive director of Leadership Ministries, a division of Campus Crusade for Christ, working with the businessmen and professional community developing Christian leadership skills. He can be reached at
[email protected] Carl Hiebert wears several hats as an author, aviator, photographer and motivational speaker. He has published four bestselling photography books and specializes in l
ow-level aerial photographs with his ultralight aircraft. His current work includes photographing for charities in Africa. He can be reached at
[email protected] Ruth Hilton-Hatfield was legally blind. She was an avid writer, typing by “feel,” and published a book of short stories at age eighty-eight. She was born in Carleton, Nova Scotia, and graduated in 1928 from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. She died in 1998 at the age of ninety.
Allan Hirsh, M.A., is a psychotherapist, trainer and cartoonist. He uses gentle humour with his clients and in his stress management seminars. His latest book is Relax for the Fun of It: A Cartoon & Audio Guide to Releasing Stress, published by 2002 Caramal Publishing. Contact him by e-mail at
[email protected], or at 705-476-2219, or at 348 Fraser, North Bay, Ontario P1B 3W7. His official Web site is www.hirsh.ca.
Michael Hogan wanted to travel the world but, because of his excessive weight, was having trouble walking three blocks. If you’d like to know how he learned to manage obstructive sleep apnea, lose eighty-five pounds and have some fun getting fit, contact him at http://www.weight4life.com or at
[email protected] Susan Hreljac received her B.S.S. with honours from the University of Ottawa in 1982. Susan and Mark Hreljac run the Ryan’s Well Foundation with the help of a small board and other dedicated volunteers. Visit the Ryan’s Well Foundation web site at www.ryanswell.ca. E-mail Susan at
[email protected] Wanda James has been both a class “A” automobile technician and a graphic designer. After becoming disabled with rheumatoid arthritis, she turned to writing as a source of interest and comfort. Her book, Getting Up Is Hard to Do: Life with Rheumatoid Arthritis, is available from Little Bear Publishing, P.O. Box 45, Morewood, Ontario, K0A 2R0 or from
[email protected] Jo-Ann Hartford Jaques, teacher and writer, has a specialist degree in English literature from the University of Toronto, and a B.E. in special education. A board-of-directors member of the Down Syndrome Association of Toronto, she is a regular contributor to its international newsletter and founded Camp Talkalot, a speech and language program for children with Down syndrome. Contact her at
[email protected]