We believe in karma and paying forward to the community.
FMOS&T. Last summer Hal Newman rode every single day on routes that ranged from 20-35km. He began to get serious about his biking and studied proper technique and posture. For the first time in his adult life, Hal’s weight began moving downwards. He began blogging about his experiences as the Fat Man On Trek [FMOT] and was surprised when readers began sharing their own stories or telling him they were inspired by his stories. Hal started a training program so he could take part in The Ride to Conquer Cancer. In July, he will be joining thousands of other cyclists for The Ride from Montreal to Quebec City to raise funds to conquer cancer in our lifetime.
In January 2010, TEMS members Hal Newman and Andrew Fielden worked with technology partners at Igloo Software to create The Crisis Kitchen – Haiti Response.
“The Crisis Kitchen has state of the art appliances, all the necessary tools, and a fully-stocked pantry. It’s definitely a place where ‘chefs’ from Canada, the US, and other nations can converge to build whatever recipes they may have in mind. I have been… using it as a credible intelligence centre – as perhaps many others have been…” – Guy Corriveau
Also related to the response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti, TEMS worked with Angela Devlen’s Mahila Partnership and Joey Adler’s OneXOne Foundation to ensure much-needed humanitarian relief supplies found their way to the responders on the ground.
In September 2009, TEMS members Dianne Brunelle, Georges Cowan, Daniel Manny, and Hal Newman were among the more than 200 volunteers who worked with KaBOOM! and Home Depot Canada to build a new playspace at Ecole Saint-Louis in Pointe-Claire, Quebec. Dianne managed the massive community-wide effort to recruit volunteers and Daniel managed the preparation of the worksite.
On MLK Day in 2006, Hal Newman was awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Award for Humanitarian Service. TEMS worked with the Institute for Public Affairs of Montreal and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to create disaster relief networks in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina & Rita.