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O'Dea's journey from panhandling to the Order of Canada By Brice Roy SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Frank O'Dea was just a regular teenager living in Montreal when his life spiralled out of control. He was 21 when his parents asked him to leave home due to trouble with alcoholism. Shortly thereafter, he ended up homeless in Toronto. "It was a lonely dirty and sometimes violent existence," said O'Dea. "The objective of the day between myself and a few friends was to get 99 cents for a bottle of wine." Though the obstacles he faced on the street sometimes seemed insurmountable, O'Dea began the difficult uphill climb to rejoin society a few years later. He was then age 23. O'Dea shuffled through a series of jobs until he met his future partner, Tom Culligan, and they began selling coin sorters. "Turns out churches were our biggest customers," said O'Dea. "Who would have known?" The two built their business from the ground up, sending out their product by mail. Eventually, they were given an opportunity. That turned out to be Canada's largest specialty coffee retailer, Second Cup. Since co-founding Second Cup in 1975 with Culligan, O'Dea also cofounded Proshred Security, a leader in the document destruction industry and Samaritan Air Service, an air ambulance service. Last Thursday, residents of Oakville were treated to the Canadian's own rags-to-riches success story at Otello's Banquet Hall as part of the Canadian Mental Health Association's Mental Health Awareness Week. "Frank's story is not just about someone who has gone through recovery. It's such an incredible story that someone could hold on to," said Radhika Subramanyan, CEO of Canadian Mental Health Association, Halton Branch. "We're hoping that people hear the story and try to help make a difference or are inspired to change their own life for the better." O'Dea delivered his presentation, entitled The Power of Hope, Vision, Action, that left listeners visibly uplifted, and sometimes overwhelmed, by his struggle. "To get me out of the flop house and away from panhandling, it required `hope' to get the money, `vision' that I would, and the `action' to get going," said O'Dea. 9 · Wednesday, October 10, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com MICHAEL IVANIN / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER / @halton_photog a second chance: Frank O'Dea, founder of numerous businesses, including The Second Cup, speaks at an event called The Power of Hope, Vision, Action. It was hosted Thursday at Otello's Banquet and Conference Centre by the Canadian Mental Health Association Halton Region Branch as part of Mental Health Awareness Week 2012. "Those three words took me to where I am today." Shortly after finding success with his business endeavors, O'Dea began focusing some of his attention to others who faced a similar situation or were in dire need of assistance. O'Dea co-founded Street Kids International in 1985, an organization dedicated to helping homeless children around the world. O'Dea then became the founding chair of War Child Canada a few years later. He also co-founded the Canadian Landmine Foundation the same year. Due to his tireless efforts to improve the lives of others, O'Dea has been recognized with several awards including, the Ontario Volunteer award and the Office of the Order of Canada. A recognition he never imagined he would receive. "I would never have imagined that. It was such a dichotomy from were I was," said O'Dea. Besides sharing his inspiring story, O'Dea encouraged the listeners to be active and help out their community any way they can. "The only goal you can always accomplish is can't," said O'Dea. "I don't want to hear that though. "Don't tell me you can't change. Don't tell me you can't make a difference. To me everybody has the same mission. To leave this world a better place than when you came in." "We all have struggles in our lives. It is getting through that struggle that is important. Hope, vision and action is a way to accomplish that," said O'Dea. ChoiCe, Diversity, innovation, exCellenCe, Personalization Oakville is home to an impressive selection of independent private preschools, elementary schools and secondary schools. Each shares a commitment to academic excellence in safe, supportive environments that emphasize the development of life-long values. In a changing and challenging education environment, the Oakville Independent Schools offer innovative and engaging programs for a new generation of learners. We invite you to join us during a joint Open House to visit the schools and discover what each has to offer your child. A great school is waiting for you. To learn more, and to access a map with locations of each school, visit www.educationoakville.com Saturday, October 20, 2012 | 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. oPen hoUse www.educationoakville.com