As I begin to tell my story I recognize that in many ways I represent the best qualities of my parents Mendel and Bella. They met in the Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp after the war and amongst the surrounding misery they fell in love, married and had their first child, my brother Issie. Mendel's tailoring skill was their ticket out of the camp and into Canada. My parents most marked difference was how they dealt with their war experiences, my father never closed down while my mother never opened up. They saw Winnipeg as a place where their children could prosper and a country which would allow them to work hard.

My father started in garment factories, eventually moving to Danzker Clothiers while my mother worked at Chicago Kosher until they could afford the typical small grocery with a typical attached house on Riverton, in Elmwood. When I reflect on my parents' life, in spite of the hard work, all I see is my father with his infectious and ever present smile, my mother and her volunteerism with Pioneer Women and their legion of friends.

Early on in Elmwood I had a variety of groups of friends. There were my BBG friends, the children of my parents' friends and my cheerleading squad at Elmwood High School friends, from where I graduated. Socializing with these various groups I still maintained a sense of being Jewish, a feeling that has flourished as I grow older. My memories are of a very traditional, but not overly religious family.

When I was nineteen years old I found the love of my life, Sam, and brought him into my traditional Winnipeg family as my husband. Since it worked for my parents, we too opted to buy our own grocery store which we ran for a few years. Sam then went to work for Boeing while I tried a variety of careers until I became the franchise holder for a company, Medicaid, which provides protective services for seniors. This was an opportunity to blend my desire to work with my compassion for seniors.

Sam, who was not originally from Winnipeg, and I have two children, Michael, who lived in Vancouver, and Amy who has traveled extensively but they now both make Winnipeg their home for which I feel fortunate.

Coming from a background where my mother was a true believer in the value of volunteerism, I took on the commitment of providing seniors' programs at the B'nai Abraham Synagogue and the attached seniors' residence. Recognizing the benefit of larger crowds at events I realized the potential of a larger, stronger merged north-end synagogue. I was a member of the initial steering committee and now sit on the Board of Directors of the Etz Chayim. I am very proud of those efforts to assist with the creation and the long term success of a dynamic new synagogue.

My mother died in 1997 and my father died in 2002. I feel that the last ten years of my parents' lives brought me closer to them. I spent time "doing things with them, not for them." Rather than seeing myself as "a wonderful daughter who did things out of guilt, I did them out of choice." After my mother passed away my father and I said Kaddish daily. After Kaddish my father and I went out for our daily discussions. Conversations about politics, Zionism and any other issue that called for strong opinions were fair game for my father and me. This daily ritual lasted for five years all with the support and encouragement of my husband Sam. My experience confirms in my mind the benefits of spending quality time with one's parents.

My reasons for becoming a signer are to honour my parents' memory and to leave a message for the community. It is important to continually grow our community both in number and in community participation rates. As I reflect on this message opportunity I want to tell my future grandchildren and people in general to "be themselves," "give to others and don't be afraid to give without any expectation of repayment."