Best Bits Abound

January 17, 2012

Photo: Drew Fagan, Deputy Minister Responsible for Seniors; Ontario Senior Achievement Award recipient Frank O’Hara; and The Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario. Taken on December 14th, 2011, at Queen’s Park by Joanne de Boehmler, Toronto Canada (jdeb@artistic-expression.com).

Best Bits Abound

How Frank O’Hara travelled the world, helped others, and won a great big important award … and how you can do it, too!

“The best bit? It’s impossible to pick just one,” says Frank O’Hara of his volunteer experiences at home and abroad.

One of just 19 recipients of the 2011 Ontario Senior Achievement Award, given to individuals for contributions to the community after the age of 65, Frank, now 85, received his award in a formal ceremony at Queen’s Park on December 14th, 2011. Frank was thrilled to be presented with a certificate and a lapel pin by Lieutenant-Governor The Honourable David C. Onley.

Frank’s quote above refers to his work just outside his front door (for example, lobbying for the beautification of the desolate concrete plaza in front of Toronto Police Service 52 Division on Dundas Street West); in Toronto (such as serving on the Board of Directors of The Family Council, an advocacy and resource centre for families dealing with loved ones struggling with mental health and addiction issues); and abroad (like mentoring owners and operators of small- and medium-sized businesses in countries ranging from China and Russia to Armenia, Romania, Ukraine, Sri Lanka, St. Lucia, Guyana, and Bolivia).

But could he come up with best bits? Well, that’s a different story — and Frank has a million.

“In 1999, I went to Armenia for CESO [Canadian Executive Service Organization],” says Frank. “My client was a tiny organization that developed and sold language and computer literacy programs for independent learning. It had recently lost its major market (the U.S.S.R.) and was on the verge of shutting its doors. The situation was desperate. Everyone involved was smart but just didn’t have any experience dealing with a competitive market. I helped the staff prepare an application for a grant from the European Bank, something the staff had already done without success. But this time, with proper business-like documentation, like sales forecasts and so on, the application was successful. The organization was, literally, saved from bankruptcy. That was so satisfying. I could really say, ‘I made a difference.’”

Another “best bit” was learning how not to tell a joke. “It was that same year, 1999, and my first assignment in China,” says Frank. “I spent an afternoon with an MBA graduating class talking about e-commerce. Later, as everyone relaxed over a beer, my client asked me to tell a ‘green joke.’ That’s what we call a blue, or off-colour, joke. I managed to dig one up, but what I remember most was how difficult it was to explain the puns and plays on words to my interpreter. No one laughed. They just looked mystified.”

There were adventures, too. Frank has vivid memories of being driven at breakneck speed up, down, and around narrow mountain roads in several countries, tasting vodka made from mulberries in Armenia, taking a boat trip on Lake Titicaca in Bolivia 12,500 feet above sea level and then, gasping for breath, climbing another 1,000 feet for the best view, and fending off packs of feral dogs in Bucharest, Romania.

Here at home, Frank’s volunteer work tends to be less physically demanding, but offers just as many satisfactions. Some of his best memories involve visiting schools as “Exhibit A: World War II Vet” and singing old favourites to seniors living in residences and long-term care centres.

As for the Ontario Senior Achievement Award, Frank is still thrilled, awed, and modest about his contributions. “There are so many other great people who deserve it as much as I do — probably more. My advice is look around and really think about all the great people who are doing wonderful things in your community. They deserve to be recognized, too.”

Action Item

• For information on how to nominate someone for the Ontario Senior Achievement Award, contact The Ontario Honours and Awards Secretariat via www.citizenship.gov.on.ca and follow the links to Senior Achievement Awards, or call 416-314-7524 or 1-877-832-8622. The annual submission deadline is usually on or around June 15th.