On the Home Front

Lesley and I are stay-at-home moms. Between us, we have six children under the age of seven—my three boys, and Lesley’s three girls. Life with our children is always full of fun, but not without its surprises and challenges, and rarely do the days go by as planned.

Seeing the cousins interact and observing differences in our children’s behaviour fascinates us. The boys tend to run over every snow bank, karate chop trees and see who can get to the corner first. They finish their food silently, in two minutes flat, with ketchup smeared all over their faces. Mismatched clothes are not an issue. They wrestle, pretend that everything is part of a battle scene — it’s already all about sports. The girls typically walk or skip, holding hands and chatting. They take longer to eat. They chat and giggle. Their outfits need to match and they enjoy afternoons spent playing with friends, colouring for hours or putting on puppet shows. It is these daily routines and little quirks that we enjoy, and we know this is a special time in our lives.

Lesley and I have also enjoyed a wonderful network of other stay-at-home moms, many of whom were our classmates at Branksome. Regardless of whether these women have returned to work or chosen to stay home indefinitely, they have always been there in supportive ways. We are grateful that we can share parenting moments with friends we have known since the days of school dances, clans, prayers and exams.

We do dream about having a peaceful coffee or walking out the door with nothing but a small purse, but for now, we shall cherish the curve balls we dodge each day. Someday we will find ourselves back in the workforce – so until then, our mom roles will be played out with huge smiles and no regrets. I we chose to give up our respective careers in marketing and accounting so we could walk our kids to school, go to music classes, join moms’ groups, and be there for first steps and first words.

Our glamour days are temporarily gone. These days, our purses are filled with snacks and diapers instead of lipstick. We wear sensible clothes and shoes and have eyes in the back of our heads. We prefer to sit on the floor. We have seen how laughter is the best medicine to fix a scraped knee or hurt feelings, and we have learned to be grateful for happy, healthy children.

Andrea ROGERS Bunker’91 received a B. Comm. from Queen’s University. After earning a CA designation, she worked as a Controller for a number of smaller businesses. Her children are Jackson (2002), Charlie (2004) and Tyler (2007).

Lesley ROGERS Chisholm’93 received a B.A. in Sociology from Dalhousie University. She worked for several years in the Marketing Department at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Her children are Ellie (2004), Natalie (2005) and Olivia (2008).

Judy MacGOWAN’81

Life and Love at the House

At Toronto’s Ronald McDonald House, laughter helps me, and everyone, cope with what goes on under our roof every day. I am in the right place for what I like to do — help people, build relationships and work with children.

i was once told i laugh too much, which made me laugh harder. As a student at Branksome, I liked joking around with friends and distinctly recall falling off my chair in front of the entire school as I emceed the Fashion Show. Yes… for me, a day filled with laughter is a good day.

Looking back upon my varied careers — from working in a nursery school, to handling sales at a toy company, to fundraising at Branksome — I know they were all leading me to my current position. When the opportunity came up to work at Toronto’s Ronald McDonald House (TRMH), I wondered whether I would be able to laugh in an environment filled with seriously ill children and their scared, struggling families. It did not take long to see how humour is integral to my colleagues and me as we support each other through the challenges that come with working in such an emotionally charged environment.

We realize we cannot change what the children and their families are going through, but we can make their stay in the House a bit happier. Each floor is painted a bright shade of blue, orange or yellow, and the kitchen walls are decorated with murals of larger-than-life animals. How I love to hear the sound of children’s laughter in the halls, as they share in the good times in a place they call home.

Mission of Toronto’s Ronald McDonald House www.rmhtoronto.org

To enhance the quality of life for out-of-town families with seriously ill children through a caring and suppor tive home away from home.

As staff members, we regularly attend the monthly TRMH School Fair, where students perform songs and activities they have learned at our in-house accredited private school. On one occasion, students created a scavenger hunt and took great joy watching staff frantically search for hidden gingerbread men. I remember shrieking (with delight) as I walked through their scary haunted house at Halloween. And, at a recent open house, the children were quick to persuade staff members to have a taste of cookies they accidentally baked with salt instead of sugar.

Humour and fun will continue to be a big part of our days at TRMH, especially as we embark on a new vision — a $30-million capital campaign to build a bigger house to support more families who will need a safe and supportive “home away from home.” I

Judy is the Director of Development at Toronto’s Ronald McDonald House. She is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), holds a certificate in Early Childhood Education, and credits her success, and witty sense of humour, to her parents, two brothers and two sisters. Judy provided many a humorous interlude for colleagues during her sojourn as Branksome Hall’s Associate Director of Annual Giving from 1996–2001.

Melony JAMIESON’89

Get It Done!

Back in the days of big hair and shoulder pads, I was in Mrs. Barbara Glennie’s health class as she performed a live demo of the broken telephone game to explain all the variables involved in successfully communicating with another person. It changed my life.

on that day, i learned to consider what I was saying with my choices of words, syntax, tone, volume, and body language. I also learned that communication relied on if and how my partner was using her ears and her eyes to receive my message amid loud static from various distractions. Who knew there were so many challenges to a successful conversation! Talking wasn’t just talking. Listening wasn’t just listening. Effective communication was a whole other dimension.

Long before “network” became a common verb, I developed a love for interacting with people, identifying opportunities, and brokering introductions.

Being an extrovert has been a tremendous asset in inspiring passion in the people I meet. In 1998, I started Get It Done!, a strategic communications firm with a particular niche in building and raising the profile of people and products within myriad communities of stakeholders. My clients may ask for my help in a variety of areas — media and public relations to get their names in the news; marketing projects to develop a brand; event production from concept creation to speech writing and stage direction; or unique projects that have included building accessible playgrounds, selling parcels of land in Central America, and fulfilling a client’s desire to meet Richard Branson, Nelson Mandela, and even the President of the United States.

I love working for myself in this fast-paced environment. As I look around my office at the evidence of client activities, I feel fortunate to have worked closely with leaders across all spheres — business, media, politics, charity, athletics and entertainment. Above all, it’s the great people that I’ve met and worked with who have made the real difference in increasing both the fun and pride quotient in my work. I am especially fond of working with entrepreneurs — those artists of the business variety who change the world with their ideas and creations. Being proactive, and helping leaders deliver their important messages around the globe, makes me feel as though my contributions to society at large are more relevant.

I never stop learning. I am not sure what’s in store next month or next year, but the constantly changing landscape is part of the thrill. Whatever the project (even if it’s moving the world’s biggest obelisk from Rome to Ethiopia), my job is to stand side by side with an array of exceptional human beings — and get it done. I

Melony boarded at Branksome for seven years, and was Head of Residence in her graduating year. She received a B.A. from McGill University in 1993, and is President of her own communications company, Get It Done! Inc. Melony juggles an action-packed business with being a mom to her four-year-old son, Jamieson. She is a Class Rep for her upcoming 20th Reunion, and remains close to her Branksome friends and fellow boarders, The Midnight Crusaders.