By now you may have heard. After an enriching year, I am leaving my position as communications spokesman at Siloam Mission to return to broadcasting.

In the mid 1960s I remember my parent’s concern for those who were less fortunate. I cannot remember exactly how my dad would come across some of the people whom he brought to our house. But I do remember how diverse and unusual they seemed.

At various times we had drug addicts, ex-cons, troubled families and individuals experiencing poverty and homelessness enter our doors. Many of them left as different, changed people. It left an impact on me as a boy that was to resurface.

While I was busy simultaneously building a broadcasting career and studying at University, I suppose my feelings for the less fortunate went somewhat on hold. That is, until my son Gordon was diagnosed with autism in the early 1990s. I hadn’t become a callous person, but dealing with a new kind of challenge gradually reignited my compassion.

Out of the blue, in May of 2009, a happy birthday wish from someone at Siloam Mission came to my Facebook page. I had interviewed people from there from time to time and decided to drop by the offices for a visit.

It had such an impact on me that by the end of the week I made the decision to leave my radio position and join Siloam’s staff. Although I knew it would be financially challenging I was convinced it was the right move. And it was.

I approached my time at Siloam with an open-ended mentality. I wasn’t in the land of extended, multi-year contracts. I just thought I would try to make a difference in a place I deeply respect for as long as I was useful.

It was a fantastic experience. I met staff and volunteers whose commitment to their mission was a marvel. I became friends with many of the patrons. As a public spokesman, I travelled to more than 108 venues throughout the province.

In one of his famous songs, Pete Seeger wrote, “to everything there is a season.” I believe this characterizes my interval at Siloam. During my time there, we underwent a change in leadership which is always unsettling. I was happy to contribute in any way I could during this process of transition.

Siloam’s new executive director, Floyd Perras, is an absolute god-send. He has vast experience in the non-profit sector which our city has yet to fully appreciate. This will happen as he becomes better known. I call him “a big fish in a smaller pond.”

Floyd has inspired fresh confidence both within Siloam and among its supporters. Floyd is also a successful, community-minded collaborator. Others involved in non-profits and in the business community would do well to seek his counsel.

Because of this caliber of leadership, plus Siloam’s other strengths, I felt comfortable pursuing an opportunity to return to broadcasting. I’ve come to realize that it isn’t so much where you work that makes a difference.

It is the kind of person you are.

As my season at Siloam ends, I feel I’m on the verge of another great adventure.

– Larry Updike is the Senior Spokesperson at Siloam Mission.

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