Courage to Care Day story written by Marlyn-Lee Van Diemen

I can almost remember it like yesterday – the year 2012, my final high school year.

I had an assignment for one of my favorite subjects, that required me to have it typed out. The object of the assignment was to assess my computer skills, however, at that time, I did not know how to operate a Word document or Excel or any of the other MS Office suite applications.

In that same year, I became friends with one of my neighbors, Dani who showed me the true meaning of having the courage to care. I was feeling overwhelmed and hopeless, and I shared my frustrations with her. She then offered to mentor me on how to make use of MS Office and how to type out a report.

Dani exercised one of the 3 MOT core values, showing the Courage to Care.

She helped me without expecting anything in return from me, even when I offered.

I was extremely grateful to her for being willing to mentor me. Dani showed me a few basic computer skills on her laptop and that made me feel cared for and valued.

She cared tremendously and listened when I was in need. Because of her, I was able to meet the deadline for my assignment.

Her simple act of kindness towards me was not forgotten after so many years.

Thank you for caring and thank you Dani for continuing to care even when no one is watching.

And to everyone out there, do not ever dim your light so that others can shine. Be the best version of yourself.