Project Porchlight Blog

One Change was honoured to be a part of the first annual Corporate Social Responsibility Conference on December 3rd. Held by the Algonquin College Business Innovation Centre and the Ottawa Community Loan Fund, the Conference celebrated the achievements of Ottawa-based social enterprise organizations. It offered the One Change team an invaluable opportunity to share our message with leaders in the field of corporate social responsibility.

Mayor Larry O’Brien opened the event and then made way for the keynote speaker, former Prime Minister Paul Martin. The Honourable Paul Martin gave an inspiring speech about the importance of corporate social responsibility to the Ottawa community. He also lamented that he hadn’t done more to promote social responsibility and social entrepreneurs throughout his term as Prime Minister.

During the discussion period, One Change Executive Director Stuart Hickox took the occasion to address the Honourable Paul Martin. Every member of the audience was captivated as they listened to Stuart’s words:

“I want to comment on something you said in your speech tonight. You said that you regret not being able to do more to help social entrepreneurs when you were Prime Minister. I don’t think you should be so hard on yourself.

“You probably won’t remember this, but three years ago when my NGO was just an idea I shared with my wife and some friends, you gave me five minutes of your time to have your photo taken holding a compact fluorescent light bulb. I want you to know that that photo opened doors for us and gave important credibility to our idea.

“Three years later, we now have 135 full-time employees in four provinces and two states and are a United Nations Environment Program partner… We’re very proud of the work we’re doing—particularly in Aboriginal and low-income communities. And, sir, you should be proud of it too. I just wanted to say, Thank You.”

Following the discussion period, Stuart and his team took time to promote the newest One Change initiative, Get the Gauge. The campaign focuses on encouraging people to increase vehicle efficiency by maintaining the correct tire pressure. Stuart personally handed the Honourable Paul Martin a tire gauge, stating: “You were the first to be photographed with the bulb. Now, we would like you to have the gauge.”

One Change staff made sure that all the conference attendees received a free tire gauge and mini brochure as they filtered out of the auditorium. Each and every person at the event has proven their ability to run efficient, effective social organizations that provide much-needed services to Canadians. As agents of change in our community, they were an ideal audience for Get the Gauge.

One Change would not be the great success it is without the hard work and dedication of thousands of incredible volunteers across North America. A special thanks to all of the enthusiastic Algonquin College students who graciously volunteered to help distribute tire gauges to attendees: Jennifer Willmetts, Amy Noyes, Danica Smith, Ashley Ferguson, and Stewart Leckie.