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NEWS 'We were constantly under stress; we were constantly broke,' recalls CEO • Continued from page 26 lived for three years, much to her mother's chagrin. Then, their father an­ nounced they were mov­ ing to Edmonton, so they packed up their car. "We're dirt poor.all our belongings are in the trunk of an old Pontiac," she said. Well into the trip, they have to purchase a new used car because the Pon­ tiac died, right in front of a car dealership. The used-car salesman came out to take a look at their car, shook his head no a few times. The vehi­ cle, he said, was worth nothing. But a deal was struck that would allow the family to purchase a new vehicle in exchange for Dickinson's mother's wedding ring. "With tears rolling down from her eyes, I knew I was witnessing something big," said the 61- year-old. "That ring didn't just have financial value, it was the emotional connec­ tion with another genera­ tion ... their family they had to leave behind." Her grandfather was a dia­ mond cutter, and what she was witnessing, she real­ ized, was a sacrifice and the end of her parents' marriage. At 13, her parents di­ vorced, and she suffered bullying at school because o f that, since divorce was not as common then. Smart at school, Dick­ inson skipped grades, and she found herself at 16, graduating from Grade 12 - she attributes that to her father, who went back to school to become a teach­ er. He was always giving them "a commercial break, where he would take a moment to teach us something." Her father asked her what university she was going to attend, and she re­ plied none - she was going to be a stay-at-home moth­ er. Her father was incredu­ lous, especially since her two older sisters had gone on to become teachers themselves. She said her family, which was always fighting, taught her to become an emotional listeners - not to listen to the words being said in anger, but the un­ spoken words to see exact­ ly what the person is try­ ing to say. "That served me best in life and on 'Dragons' Den,"' she said. At 19, Dickinson met her husband and by 20, she had her first child, and lat­ er three more. "I realized we have ab­ solutely no money, and I'm living my parents' life," she said, noting she was mak­ ing soup, jam, freeze-dry­ ing fruit, anything to save money. "We were constantly under stress and we were constantly broke." At 27, with four chil­ dren under seven, her hus­ band announced he want­ ed her to get a job so he could go back to school to become a teacher. Eventually the mar­ riage broke up, and she ended up getting a job as a debt collector. "I was making those calls, and I was getting those calls," she laughed, but she quickly learned the importance of money - not to buy things, but to pay for things to survive in this world. Eventually, she was told by a judge that her children would be split be­ tween parents, unless she got a full-time job. "When you lose the thing that motivates you the most, it is debilitating," she said. Fortunately her luck turned around, and she landed on her feet in sales at a television station, then later in another sales posi­ tion and, in 1988, became CEO of Venture Communi­ cations, a marketing and communications firm. Over the years, she said she's learned many things, but one thing that stands out is to "stop trying to be so perfect all the time for everybody because it doesn't exist. You have to be good for you and when you're good for you first, you can be good for any­ body else." Dickinson believes it's important to share the sto­ ries that made you who you are. "We don't share those stories anymore, we're so busy texting our way through life, we forget the richness o f the heritage we have and we forget to pass those traditions down.to pass that thinking down; to articulate the lessons we learned the hard way so that others might learn from us. "We have got to take the time to share sto- ries."Internationally ac­ claimed Inuk singer/song- writer Susan Aglukark, who provided the eve­ ning's entertainment, also spoke. She said she wouldn't be where she is today without songwriting and art to help heal her. She said after the success of her first album, she needed to heal and to find out who she was a person before she became a celeb­ rity. Quin V e rto lli/p h o to The Dinner Party held for International Women's Day was a fundraiser for SAVIS of Halton presented by the Women of Halton Action Movement and the Zonta Club of Oakville. Arlene Dickinson of Dragon's Den fame was the keynote speaker of the event. I - * SINGLE TRAVEL - MADE EASY! 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