Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60FOCUS - NOVEMBER 2016 3 UMAN ACHIEVEMENT – whether professional, academic, or athletic – requires a motivating cat- alyst to kindle the flame of success. Often, one person’s inspiration rep- resents another’s indifference; it’s part of what makes us individuals. For a writer leaning naturally toward curiosity, understanding someone’s motivation is essential to capturing his or her essence in the eventual output. The ques- tion – where did your passion come from? – still has to be asked, but generally an accurate answer can be derived with an educated guess. But there are few “absolutes” in the world. Take the humanitar- ian work done by youthful Matt Peco, for example. “I have a great deal to be thankful for,” he begins. “My parents, the way I was raised. I started doing humanitarian work in high school. It’s always been part of my life, con- sciously or unconsciously.” The Peco family has sponsored a child in the Ukraine for the past 11 years. As a university graduation present, his parents presented Matt with an entirely logical, yet com- pletely unexpected, gift. “They registered me for a two- week humanitarian mission in the Ukraine. That was a big surprise – and a great one.” The trip saw Matt tour a pocket of the war-ravaged country, helping where he could at schools and in first aid situations, all the time interacting with local young people. “Experiencing their environment at the grass roots level was a huge part of the trip for me. Their schools are also a social centre – at the end of the school day, they don’t entirely vanish for the evening. The teachers are almost like ad- ditional parents. “But the poverty many of them face keeps them from reaching their full potential. I saw first- hand the benefits they get from Canadians’ aid, that allows them to stay in school as well as experi- ence a stable home life.”’ But the crowning event of his mission – Matt called it a “defin- ing moment” – was the opportu- nity to briefly visit the home of the child (now 15) his family had sponsored for over a decade. “That was an emotional mo- ment for me – to meet him in person, share a hug. It made our sponsorshipahundredtimesmore real because I could see for myself how that support had helped to change his life: he had a proper homelife and meals on the table. I felt very proud, like his and mine were one big family.” The Ukrainian trip, he says, may turn out to be the first of many. Matt Peco (right) meeting Andriy, the child the Peco family has sponsored for over a decade, for the first time. At 15 years old, Andriy is not a child anymore. (Photo courtesy of Tom Richard) ...................... Please turn to page 4 Matt Peco Walks the Talk energy enthusiasm humility patience passion flexibility creativity reliability commitment H U M A N I T A R I A N I S M