Breakfast Of Champions

Long time readers of this blog will know that I normally go to McDonalds for breakfast but this morning I went to the Beakfast Of Champions fundraiser to benefit the Childrens Breakfast program at LAMP. CITY-TV reporter Dwight Drummond was guest speaker. The location was a reataurant at Evans & Kipling. Getting there was no big deal. I took the Kipling bus to Evans. Getting in the building is another story because it's not accessible. They have this horrible steep ramp at the side of the building but no cutout in the curb to access it. So they got a piece of plywood there so I could get to this ramp. It was so steep that I knew that getting out of the building would be a problem.

But I made it in and found a reasonably empty table to pull into. LAMP Executive Director Russ Ford introduced some dignitairies including MP Michael Ignatieff, MPP Laurel Broten & TDSB Trustee Bruce Davis. No Mark Grimes. I guess we're not on his Christmas list. The breakfast was buffet style so the young man sitting next to me offered to pick up my food. Meanwhile, Laurel Broten came over to chat about my ongoing issues with ODSP. It was standard breakfast fare and after everyone was finished, the festivities began.

I can't remember her name (sorry) but the woman who runs the breakfast program acknowledged her volunteers and some of the suppliers. Of course Dwight Drummond is now a successful reporter but he grew up in Jane/Finch and benefitted from breakfast programs as a child. He has also worked in breakfast programs and now it's great that he supports similar breakfast programs across Toronto. He's a role model for young people who are growing up in similar circumstances and he speaks from experience. There's more to life in the city than a police blotter as Dwight knows since he reports a lot of police business. I'm sure you've heard the expression "Pay It Forward". That's what this is all about.

So now it's time to go and I used my new phone to take a picture with Dwight Drummond. Check out the accompanying pic. Thanks to Darnell for taking the picture. Of course I plugged the blog like I always do. So now it's time to go and I'm very concerned about getting out of this building safely. I know I can't control the chair while going down the ramp. But several restaurant workers help me out by holding the chair while I'm going down the ramp. And I made it without killing myself. I was speaking to the maintenance guy for the building and he knows the building has to be made accessible. Many building owners simply don't want to spend the money on a proper ramp. They don't understand that spending money on accessibility pays for itself in increased business. And LAMP told me that next year's Breakfast Of Champions will be in an accessible building. So if only one person is more aware of accessibility issues that the disabled deal with daily, I guess I did my job. And thanks to the guys who helped me in & out of the building as I never would have gotten in or out otherwise.