I have known Daniel most of his life, but it has only been in the past several weeks that I have had the pleasure of realizing what an exceptional young man he is. Daniel gives to his community in so many remarkable ways, quietly changing the lives of youngsters who are in his care.
Daniel is the leader of the Sea Cadets here in Smithers and when he was approached about the possibility of his cadets helping with the Scleroderma Run held here on June 4, he welcomed the opportunity to serve with his students. In fact, there were several occasions when we chatted with Daniel requesting changes in plans and he was extremely flexible. Daniel always ended the call with, “It is a pleasure to be able to help in any way in our community.”
The day of the event, Daniel and his cadets showed up as promised and helped with some hefty lifting. Without the help of the Cadets we would have experienced considerable difficulty getting set up. The Cadets took part in the event and were excited about it. At the end of the day, they were again available to take down that same heavy equipment. What a joy they were to work with.
Daniel obviously has a unique way of working with young people, as was demonstrated by their responses to him. It became obvious that Daniel cared about each cadet personally and knew them well. They all responded in kind, were courteous and respectful and always on hand for any task, no matter how large or small. It was a pleasure to work with the Smithers Cadets and I would like to thank them for their hefty contributions to making the event such a success.
When I ran this letter by Daniel for approval, this was his response: “If I could ask of 1 change to the letter is that it be more about the cadets then me. These kids are what makes it worth while. They make me a better teacher and leader. I am just fortunate to enjoy the ride with them as they become our leaders of tomorrow.”
And that’s what makes Daniel and his cadets such valuable members of our community.
Dian Cromer
Scleroderma Smithers
