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 604 FOCUS - NOVEMBER 2016 “Sure, I’d gladly go back overseas in the future, either to the Ukraine or another country. What I’d really like is to take someone else along, because another good feeling I took away from this trip was that the people I met over there now know, from those small interactions, that there are others who care about them. That’s a feeling I’d like to share.” Howpeoplefeelhasbeenanimpor- tant element in Matt’s life. He traces its origins back to an even younger age. “When I was 11 or 12, I took a real ‘consuming’ interest in psychology, es- pecially why I reacted in the way I did. Rather than act immediately, I wanted to understand the situation before I reacted. Eventually, that thought pro- cess happened unconsciously.” Oddly, perhaps, psychology didn’t become his specialty when it came time to pursue post-secondary education. “I was inclined toward art, and got a Fine Arts degree in Photography.” The ideal worklife, he decided, would see the marriage of his two passions. “I’d like to go back to school for my Masters in Creative Therapy, at Concordia University.” Graduating in this discipline would see him working with children and adolescents – these age groups are his personal preference – in con- cert with a psychologist. “The psychologist and creative therapist work as a team. Sometimes, a patient can’t verbalize what he or she wants to say, so art is an al- ternative way of expressing those thoughts and feelings. It can also benefit an autistic person to commu- nicate more effectively.” The common theme in his volun- teer work and his career aspiration is helping others, a trait which has come naturally. “I like the idea of being helpful and making life a positive experience for everyone. I always think of it this way, how will people remember me?” Probably as someone who cares. And there may be, from one person to another, no greater compliment. By Scott Mercer, Focus on Scugog Families and children who are part of Chalice, a child sponsorship programme, greeted Matt and the team in Borschiv, Ukraine. There was a ceremony including speeches, handcrafted gifts, dancing and songs. (Photo courtesy of Matt Peco) The beautiful countryside of Kuropartyky Village, Ukraine. (Photo courtesy of Matt Peco) Matt Peco (continued from page 3