Village of Hope Stories – Sharron

I worked with my dad for 35 years, running the catering business. Dad was involved with a lot of charities, but the Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre was his baby. I remember more than 30 years ago when he learned that someone he knew had a son struggling with addiction. My Dad decided he had to do something about it, because that’s who he was.

My Dad was happiest when he was working hard – whether he was running his businesses, flipping hamburgers at a school fundraiser or acting as an auctioneer at a gala. He came from a big family, and my grandparents didn’t have very much. But from the time he was very young, Dad was always wanting to help people whenever he could. Organizing people around a cause, getting charitable initiatives off the ground and moving them forward – that was his passion.

Because I ran the catering business, I worked a lot of the fundraising events where my dad was the auctioneer. He was so happy raising money for the causes, like the DSYTC, that he cared about. He’d be up on stage, smiling from ear to ear, doing his thing. Sometimes the whole crew would stop and watch him in action. It was mesmerizing.

Dad could be serious at times, but there was a lot of laughter; every day I worked with him was so much fun, and I will always remember that. The Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre is his legacy, and it’s an absolute necessity in the community. Young people are struggling, and they need a place to go for live-in treatment that allows them to spend time away from unhealthy situations.

The new facility is going to be amazing. Not only will all the staff be together, but there will be so much space available for kids to study, and to participate in healthy activities like basketball. The extra capacity will also mean shorter wait times for young people who need help.

My dad and everyone at DSYTC worked so hard to help get the new Centre off the ground. He’ll be looking down on us the day it opens, and I think he’ll be in tears. We will all be crying tears of joy. All that hard work everyone did and then to finally cut that ribbon – holy smokes. That will be the day of all days.

Sharron Smith is Dave Smith’s daughter and a long-time supporter of the Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre.