He knew he wanted to help others, he just didn’t know how to find those who truly needed his help. Pantelidis contacted Wimpy’s head office, where he shared his idea with Cindy Hicks, Wimpy’s Quality Assurance Coordinator.

“I live in the community, so from Dino’s idea, I said, ‘I know where to go. We’ll go to Birchmount Bluffs Neighbourhood Centre (BBNC). They’ll hook us up with people who need help’,” shares Hicks. Hicks contacted Judy Foremski at the BBNC and over three weeks Foremski, Hicks and Pantelidis worked together to plan a Christmas Eve outreach dinner. The trio of philanthropists teamed up in a way that would have made the Three Musketeers envious.

Pantelidis coordinated the dinner, recruiting his family, staff, and even Chris Sterjovski, president of Wimpy’s, as volunteers. When the community heard what Pantelidis was planning, to feed a group of 400 people in need on Christmas Eve, they responded generously. Toys, gifts and money were given to Pantelidis, who made sure that Santa Claus was there to join the festivities and hand out gifts to the good boys and girls.

Hicks approached Wimpy’s suppliers and was met with support and encouragement. Drinks and food were donated and one of the suppliers, Gourmet Sausage, donated and cooked the 23 turkeys that were required to feed the 400 expected guests.

Foremski, coordinator of the Share Christmas program at the BBNC, was in charge of invitations. When people came to pick up their Christmas care packages at the community centre, Judy invited them to bring their whole family to the diner for Christmas Eve dinner. Judy’s one regret is that people more people weren’t helped through the community centre.

“We helped 744 people. We did 2,300 boxes of food and gifts. That was all donated by the community,” shares Foremski, adding, “We could have easily done 300 families this year, but we just don’t have room. What we do at the centre here is we take over the top floor. We have to cancel our programs, like fitness programs and parties.” This means lost revenue for the centre, which means less people being helped. Foremski is asking for a special donation next year, not unlike Pantelidis’ exceptional gift.

“For next year I want someone to volunteer some warehouse space that I only need for 3 weeks. I’m in December 1st, I’m out by the 21st and we just bring in our hoard of volunteers,” Foremski explains.

But, no matter what the goals are for next year, this year hundreds of people had a Christmas. Gifts, food, clothing, a delicious dinner, were all supplied to people who otherwise would have had none. If you ask Foremski, Hicks or Pantelidis, they will tell you that they ‘just had the idea’, or ‘just helped organize’. They will also tell you, in unison, that the ability to help others and to reach those less fortunate is all due to the generosity of the Bluffs community. So no longer is it just Three Musketeers, but a community of Musketeers, coming together to change the world.

“It was Joan (Kelly)’s idea, originally, to even have a group like this, because she thought it would be good if the residents wrote their own stories,” shares Adele. “The administration backed us up, so that’s what we do. I just write the stories down.” In the form of a round-robin, the story-tellers gather, and, under the guidance of Adele, they create beautiful, short stories that reflect the group’s diversity. From futuristic stories to war tales, from science fiction to snow storms, the plots, settings and characters are as widely diverse as their spirited authors. But the ideas that flow freely had a rocky start.

“When we first started to do this, it was so slow. We just sat. And now they go so fast I can’t keep up. I have to go to short hand,” Adele states proudly, with a twinkle in her eye. In the beginning, Adele offered suggestions on where the story could go and tried to draw out the group through questions. Now she keeps the group in order and directs the story around the circle so that everyone gets a chance to share equally. Her positive outlook and encouragement have created a safe atmosphere for the group to work in and allows them to voice their opinions freely. And those opinions usually come in the form of compliments.

“Nice idea!” “I like where this is going!” “Great name for a character!” These are the types of things you’ll hear from the group’s participants as they coach each other along. They are co-authors and co-creators and, most importantly, friends.

“I like to come here. I like to be with these wonderful people,” says Adele, looking at the twelve contributors who are even more happy to spend time with her. She fits in here, with her wealth of ideas and enthusiasm. Adele’s energy and her spirit match the unique brand of family that has gathered. They come from many different walks of life, but they assemble with unity of purpose. To create, to share, to belong