Tag: Making A Difference

Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Wig Salon and Accessories Boutique

Today I paid a visit to the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Wig Salon and Accessories Boutique. It is the only place in Toronto that I found that accepts gently used wigs to be reconditioned for patients that may need one. I also discovered they will take head coverings and scarves too. They have a Look Good Feel Better program out of the space as well as sell hats and accessories with proceeds going back to the hospital. I was lucky to meet the lovely team including Wig Specialist Laurie as well as a fourteen year volunteer giving back. Such a special place to help patients. Unfortunately not everyone is lucky to have work and/or private insurance or can afford to cover the cost of a wig. For those patients PMH runs a service outside of the PMH Lodge on Jarvis on Wednesday mornings to help those who cannot afford a wig and do not have insurance. All wigs have been donated like the one I dropped off today. Appointments must be made in advance by phoning Laurie at 416-413-7412. Losing your hair can be traumatizing so if you have gently used wigs, head coverings or scarves, definitely consider donating them to PMH and help patients in need.

Together: Our Community Cookbook

“The power of food is more than just the meal itself; there’s the story behind it. When you get to know the story and the recipe, you get to know the person behind it. That’s what we’re talking about in terms of coming together, to really engage and talk and be able to celebrate what connects us, rather than what divides us. That, I believe, is the ethos of Together.” – Duchess of Sussex

I love cookbooks, coffee table books and hearing people’s stories. I love how food connects us and is part of our family history. I absolutely adore this project and how it brings hope and community after the horrific fire at Grenfell Tower in London. Together: Our Community Cookbook brings together things I love – food, people, photography, a sense of community and giving back. The book is absolutely beautiful and will help the Hubb Community Kitchen to grow and thrive. A beautiful project to support. I highly recommend purchasing a copy of Together and helping the women at the Hubb Kitchen.

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Remembering June 21, 1983

“Nothing brings me more happiness than trying to help the most vulnerable people in society. It is a goal and an essential part of my life – a kind of destiny.” – Princess Diana

It is hard to believe 35 years ago today, I was so very lucky to see Princess Diana and Prince Charles on a school trip to Ottawa that just happened to coincide with their first visit to Canada. While a few decades have passed, I still remember that day. It was very hot and humid and I remember being dressed in pink top and skirt. Forever a girly girl. I remember the waiting and the moment when a few school friends and I finally saw Princess Diana in her limousine en route to Rideau Hall. Sadly the photograph wasn’t the best quality but my memory of that day remains alive and well.

Princess Diana – you are forever missed.

Meet Murphy

Happiness is finally meeting Murphy – Wellness Partner and Therapy Dog in Training at North York General Hospital. Spending ten minutes with Murphy brought joy to my entire day. Follow Murphy on his journey on Instagram at @murphy_pawsforyourhealth. I can’t wait to visit him again!

We are the Junior League

I am a proud to 15 year member of the Junior League. I am forever grateful for all the leadership and community training and development it has provided me as well as many beautiful friendships. The Junior League has been a positive catalyst in my life and re-committed my desire to give back to others and my community.

Join us! We are UNSTOPPABLE! We are the Junior League!

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My Best Nine 2017 Simple Joys

My own creation of my Best Nine of 2017 is one that I feel truly reflects this past year. While nothing particularly monumental or noteworthy happened this year, there were many memorable moments along the way. I love all my visits with my little nephew. He has such a happy, energetic and fun little personality and challenges me with all his WHY questions. I loved that I had many opportunities to learn something new. A definite highlight was the opportunity to celebrate Finland 100 through my Finnish Architecture and Design Course at U of T including a behind the scenes tour of Toronto City Hall. I learned a bit about Emergency Preparedness as a volunteer at Toronto Pearson’s annual exercise. My volunteer role allowed me the amazing opportunity to attend a Train the Trainer session for two Cleveland Clinic program. I also contributed to many different initiatives in my volunteer role which hopefully will help many patients and their families in the future. I loved that I got to meet Bobbi Brown as I love her beauty philosophy – Be Who You Are. I enjoyed exploring and photographing University of Toronto and other areas of our city I don’t often get to. A definite highlight for me was the experiencing the incredibly inspiring Invictus Games. I was totally in awe of the competitors and loved seeing our city come out to cheer on every single one of them. It was an amazing experience I will never forget. I was also pretty excited that I saw Prince Harry on two occasions after seeing Princess Diana on her first trip to Canada in 1983 and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in London in 2013. A full circle moment for me as they all are an inspiration to me on the importance of kindness, giving back and helping others. I am thankful for all these simple joys and many others I had throughout the year and grateful to everyone who follows along as I simply go about my everyday. Wishing you all a 2018 filled with many simple joys of your own. đź’—

Remembering Princess Diana 


Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.” – Princess Diana 

It is hard to believe twenty years have passed since the news of Princess Diana’s death. I grew up with Princess Diana from the moment the press found out she was dating Prince Charles. I still remember waking in the wee hours of July 29, 1981 on summer holidays in Sudbury to watch the Royal Wedding and essentially fell in love with everything British and Royal. How incredibly lucky I would be that I was in Ottawa on a school trip when Charles and Diana would make their first trip to Canada in 1983. I waited on a hot and humid June day with a few public school friends and likely a teacher given our young age to just get a glimpse of Princess Diana from her car as it entered the Rideau Hall Gates. It was a dream come true. I followed Princess Diana in the newspapers, magazines and television. I loved her style and elegance but more importantly I was inspired about how she made it her mission to help others, advocate and shed light to causes that were not considered glamorous. Diana had this warmth which was evident in her interactions with others.

In June 1997, my university friend and a fellow Princess Diana fan and I planned a trip to London. The trip was originally planned for around the time of Princess Diana’s death but at some point we decided to moved it up to June. What a different trip it would have been from the one we experienced. I was up north in cottage country when I heard the news of Princess Diana with one fuzzy television channel and a radio. As the days passed, I would watch the coverage from London and once again woke in the wee hours of September 6, 1997 to say goodbye to the People’s Princess. 

Since the world lost Princess Diana, I have been lucky to see her dresses twice in Toronto, travel to her resting place Althorp with my mother on her birthday in 2002 and then onto Paris to where she lost her life that fateful day. I hope to travel to London to see the Diana: Her Fashion Story at Kensington Palace before it closes in early 2018. 

In a world that celebrates and worships all things celebrity, it is Princess Diana who continues to inspire me. Princess Diana embodied love, kindness, compassion and inclusion. I aim to embrace these values as I go about my own travels on this earth. I love seeing her boys William and Harry along with Catherine carry on her legacy and continue to champion causes that were important to her while also charting their own course of what is important to them. Diana would be so incredibly proud. As a life-long volunteer, they all inspire me to continue to contribute to my own community and helping others. 

“I think the biggest disease the world suffers from in this day and age is the disease of people feeling unloved. I know that I can give love for a minute, for half an hour, for a day, for a month, but I can give. I am very happy to do that, I want to do that.” – Princess Diana

Diana – forever remembered and missed. đź’—