PROFILE
What It Means to Turn
Caring into Lifelong Action T
BY MICHAEL BROOKE
he desire of Michelle Francis to do philanthropic work is rooted in her earliest childhood memories. “I was the youngest daughter of four and the first to be born in Canada,” she recalls. “From the time I can remember, I was my dad’s shadow.” Michelle says her father, Henry Francis, was always taking her to places where he would fix things for people. “My father was larger than life and had this extraordinary presence in people’s lives.” Michelle says that people could rely on him for assistance and support. “I could never tell the difference between my father socializing or helping. His helping was an extension of who he was.” One gets the same impression from Michelle. She has managed to seamlessly fuse her business career with her philanthropic work. “Every time I advocate or every time I’m helping, it’s not a separate activity, it’s just a part of what I do.” In perhaps one of the most striking examples of the impact that Michelle’s father had on her life, she recounted the time when he helped save someone’s life at the scene of a car accident. “A young man had been hit and my father rushed into action. He told me to go and get a pillow and blanket from the car. I remembered feeling so empowered at the time knowing that my dad was going to save someone!” At that moment, Michelle says she really understood what it meant to be protected and cared for and she was immensely proud of her father. Michelle’s first official volunteer experience was at an exercise event at the Heart & Stroke Foundation. This opportunity eventually led to her first corporate job working with the very same foundation as a 20
FOUNDATION Magazine
January/February 2022
provincial coordinator in Cause Marketing for Fit & Hoops. As Michelle explains, “back then, the not-forprofit world was where your passion lived and your income died.” Her move to the for-profit world coincided with the birth of her first son. The reason she moved into the business world was because she couldn’t afford to take care of her son while working in the not-for-profit world. Fast forward a number of years and Michelle believes that things have changed. “Consumers are starting to ask pointed questions like ‘does this product or service that I am buying align with my value system?’” Michelle has also worked in continuing education at George Brown College and was a professor at Durham College in Fund Development in Sports Management. Michelle’s initiatives encourage and empower young people to take charge of their lives. The Henry Alexander House was created in honour of her father who along with being a community leader was also a recipient of the Government of Canada Jubilee Award. The Jubilee Award award recognizes and honours significant contributions and achievements by Canadians. The house is both a performance and healing facility that endeavours to provide a blend of therapeutic modalities, life skills and business. It has offered a wide range of programs and services for families in Durham Region. This includes counselling, mediation and business performance training. The Alexander House also does intensive group outreach support for black youth, black youth at risk and BIPOC youth. It works with teens and young adults (ages 16 to 21) who are navigating emotional challenges and those trying to navigate a future career path. foundationmag.ca
