This month’s volunteer of the month is Dr. Bob McKeon. The McKeon-Amerongen family has been a carrier for the paper for many years, and Bob readily admits that most likely the route would have been delivered by his wife or children in the early years.

Bob moved into McCauley in 1977, and the community is a better place because of his family’s residency here. One of the founders of Inn Roads Housing Co-op, Bob was also a founder and chair of the Inner City Housing, and was instrumental in the forming of the Boyle McCauley Health Centre. He has also sat on many boards and committees throughout the years. At present, he works for the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton’s Social Justice Office, and one thing his office supports is the Capital Region Interfaith Housing Initiative.

Bob has worked diligently over the years to address the issues surrounding homelessness. He points out that over the past three years the drive to find housing for the homeless has recorded 1800 people for whom housing has been secured. Something is going right!

One might think that after many years of volunteer work in our neighbourhood and elsewhere, he might choose to hang up his skates for a while, but Bob presently sits on the McCauley Revitalization Committee, and is Chair of the Inner City Pastoral Ministry. As well, he continues to teach from time to time at Newman Theological College and the University of Alberta. He achieved his Ph.D. in recent years, a testament to perseverance and dedication.

Not surprisingly, Bob insists on telling anyone who will listen how many other people were involved in all of the organizing of these different organizations. We all know that nothing gets done with only one person doing it – we are a community. Thank you Bob, for doing all that you have done in the past and for all you continue to do to serve!