For me, Christmas begins with the ritual of pulling out my Nutcracker collection, a silent army keeping watch over the holiday season. Then it’s opening all the boxes of decorations that bring on years and years of memories from Christmases past.
For some, the holidays can be a tough road. We’ve all traveled our own paths, making choices at life’s forks in the road that can bring us closer to our dreams or pull us further away. The key is to remember that no setback can truly block the road if your spirit is strong.
If you’ve ever felt limited by things you can’t do, or more accurately, things you only think you can’t do - then meet Valerie Haigh. Her life is a powerful testament to tenacity, emotional intelligence, relentless resilience, and a profoundly generous heart.
Valerie describes elementary school as a painful period, suffering from what she felt were major “blockages of comprehension,” making reading, writing, and math difficult. It was an attentive teacher, Dolores Dickey, who recognized that Val had an audio delivery disability and came up with a simple, brilliant accommodation. “She used to record my homework on a cassette and leave a space for me to answer, and this helped me tremendously,” shared Val.
It forged a bond that lasted over five decades. “I stayed in touch with her for over 55 years right up until she passed two years ago”.
High school brought more champions: Matthew Stewardson, who pushed her in the right direction, and Bob Walsh, a kind ear and reliable friend. “These men were always my cheerleaders at Northwood High School”, said Val. Her true champion was her grandfather. “He was always teaching me amazing things in his workshop and in his yard. I learned how to run a rototiller, a lawnmower and a snowblower by the age of 10”, said Val. These lessons paved the way for Val’s entire career.
Val’s career as a custodian with the Board of Education allowed her to take courses, which led her to excel and work her way up to Chief Custodian. Custodians are the unseen backbone of any school, and Val quickly became a confidante for many. “It’s funny in the workplace, it seemed like I was the mentor for everybody,” she says. Her office was a revolving door for anyone having a bad day.
Val was always helping others, organizing fundraisers and running Christmas Cheer programs at every school she worked at. A principal even asked her to run the Christmas sing-songs. She created the first recycling program at Whitefish Valley, successfully opening the doors for all the other schools to follow. In 2017, after 34 years, Val retired. To make it unforgettable, she wore a dinosaur costume to school, giving students and staff a final, great laugh.
Val’s "retirement" was just a pivot.
She worked part-time at a garden centre and spent four years coordinating the Salvation Army Christmas Kettle campaign, and helped run the food bank there throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Then, Val chose her final retirement date: a fateful Friday the 13th, 2023.
She received gifts and goodbyes, but the most incredible present came from a total stranger. “I got an email from a gaming site that told me I had won a fully paid trip for two to London, England.” She initially dismissed it as a scam, but it was real. “This Friday the 13th, became one of the luckiest days of my life!”
Val decided her best friend and cousin, Lynn, had to come along. She surprised her on her 70th birthday the next day:
“I said, ‘Happy Birthday, do you want to come on a trip to London?’ She said, ‘What? London, Ontario?’ I said, ‘Ahh, No, London, England!’”. Among Val’s many talents is crafting.
So when she heard about people putting jackets on parking meters in other cities for those in need, she came up with the idea of creating ‘warming kits’.
“I crocheted some scarves, purchased some magic gloves, pinned them together, added a granola bar and hung them on parking meters around the city”. With donated yarn, Val crafted at least 100 warming kits between 2018 and 2021. This also inspired her to commit to give back at least 30% of the products she makes with her small crafting business, “All Wrapped Up Stuff,” to the community.
Val’s list of contributions is staggering:
- Hats for the labour and delivery ward at the Thunder Bay Regional Hospital.
- Hats and mitts for the local warming centre.
- Handmade gift baskets for various fundraisers.
- Hats for anyone going through cancer treatments.
- Slippers for clients without family at Pinewood Court during Christmas.
- Karaoke-based donations for the Humane Society.
But her biggest donations to date are the gifts of her own hair which she shaved repeatedly for charity. In 2013, she donated 33 inches of hair, raising $6,500 for the Northern Cancer Society and $500 for Angel Hair Canada. In 2021, she donated 18 inches and a cheque for $400. Earlier this year, she shaved her head bald again, donating an incredible 38 inches of hair and $3,950 for Angel Hair Canada to make wigs for children.
Reflecting on the coming holidays, Val shared that the Christmas season has been a challenge since her parents separated when she was eight. But Val believes her early experiences are the reason for her generosity to others “I love giving because it makes my heart feel good. Even if it’s my last dollar, honestly, I’d go without before anyone else”.
Merry Christmas, and when you live in a world full of Grinch’s...be a Valerie.
