One of the most fun and rewarding parts of the countless volunteer hours that our Board of Directors puts into our organization is the getting to surprise people part. Starting in 2017, we created a "London Dad Hall of Fame' as a chance to permanently and indelibly recognize local London fathers for their contributions to fatherhood and their outstanding achievements in our region. Some of our past inductees have included John Davidson of Jesse's Journey, and Dr. Josef Vladars, the pre-eminent vasectomy surgeon in the region. The London Dad Hall of Fame can be found here
This year, our inductee was extra special and very meaningful to us. 2020 was a year of stress, isolation, separation, loneliness, and fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of making one wrong move and facing indeterminable consequences. Despite this fear, so many people both locally and across the world stepped up and flung themselves headfirst into their essential roles to keep our society functioning despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year's inductee is one of those essential front line workers. He works as an Emergency Department Technician at London Health Sciences Centre. He's known hospital wide for his infectious mirth, outstanding desire to help, friendliness, approachability, and huge heart. He's the first one to take on additional tasks to make a co-worker's life easy, and to even take time from his busy shift to find a teddy bear to lift a sick child's spirits (seriously - did this for my own kid when she needed a chest x ray).
Jamie Sweetman is brave, kind, friendly, funny, and as genuine and heartfelt as they come. Because of workers like him, we are surviving and coping and getting through this pandemic together. Because of dads like him, our children get to see what true selflessness, integrity, and the results of rising to the occasion look like first hand. Congratulations Jamie, you earned this induction. Please click the link to read more about Jamie and his story.