Giving Back

Giving Back

I stood behind home plate at SkyDome looking towards the right field seating area. Hundreds of dogs and their owners sat in the sunshine enjoying the first ever Dog Day at a Blue Jays game in support of the Ontario SPCA. I was so proud. I remember turning to Bailey and saying: “This is for you, buddy.”

A series of events led to the creation of Dog Day and my involvement with the great folks at the Ontario SPCA. First and foremost, I have two parents that taught me the value of giving back to your community. In 1979 on a quiet evening at home, my parents read a story about a young boy from Brooklyn, NY named Herbie Quinones. Herbie suffered from a rare birth defect that made it difficult for him to breathe while eating. The only place in the world that could help Herbie was Toronto’s Hospital For Sick Children. My parents could have simply lamented about Herbie’s situation and then gone about their lives—but they didn’t. The massive fund raising effort that ensued generated more money than was needed to help Herbie. Once Herbie’s life was saved, my parents realized that there were more children who could use help. Now more than 30 years later, the Herbie Fund has helped over 600 children from more than 100 countries.

The Herbie Fund will always be close to my heart and very special to me. Members of my family including my parents and wife continue to be involved to this day. But the Herbie Fund will always be their cause. No matter what I do for Herbie, it will forever be the charity that Paul and Gina Godfrey created—as it should be. If I was going to give back to my community, it would have to be something of my own doing.

A few years after being blessed with Bailey, I found my own calling in a newspaper story. A man had gone on vacation for three weeks leaving his dog in a cage in a dark closet to starve to death. I was so angry. I loved Bailey so much that I just couldn’t understand how someone could be so cruel. This was my cause.

Bailey’s love was unconditional. On many days, I have been a complete jerk to everyone around me. At times I even lost patience with Bailey when he didn’t deserve it. Yet to Bailey, this didn’t matter—he loved me no matter what, even when I didn’t deserve it. I began to think about all the other dogs and cats out there who had no voice and no one to protect them from senseless abuse. And then I met the people at the Ontario SPCA.

Dog Day was more than just a gimmicky promotion for the Blue Jays. It was an opportunity to give something (even if it was just a little) back to the community. The Ontario SPCA not only shelters unwanted animals but also has the responsibility of enforcing animal cruelty laws in the province. They are forced to find a balance between the animal rights activists that could drive even the most sensible individual to the loony bin and a government that doesn’t list animal cruelty as a priority. While some would say their job is thankless, this is not true. Gratitude is seen in the eyes of every animal that is saved from an abusive situation.

In 2009 I was invited to join the Ontario SPCA Board of Directors. As Chairman of the Board, I am proud to carry on the work that would have been impossible without the life lessons of my parents and the unconditional love of my pal Bailey.