Rewarding Katie’s ‘ray of sunshine’ for easing her pain
Mackenzie Clarke is more than a qualified personal trainer; he is a hero to Katie Houlgrave, a Wetaskiwin, Alta. j unior high school teacher who has come back f rom the abyss of a life wracked with physical pain.
She credits Clarke for changing her life around two years ago. He in turn admires her dedication, tenacity and willingness to embrace everything that Edmonton- based Marked I mprovement Pers o nal Training Inc. has to offer, including both physical rehabilitation initiatives and physical fitness programs.
Pain i nitially brought them together: “Katie was in a bad car accident — she got out of the car on the side of the road and somebody hit her,” Clarke recalls. “She was in a really, really bad way. She couldn’t function in any way, shape or form in the way that she wanted and because of that there was a byproduct of weight gain, but the big thing was the pain and lack of mobility.
“It’s not hard to understand why you are not happy because you cannot do what you want to do. You can’t even put your socks on; you can’t do your job.”
Fast-forward two years and the mobility has returned and much of the pain is gone. So much so that when Houlgrave heard about a special promotion on the radio from Transat entitled the Ray of Sunshine contest, she immediately thought of Clarke, her source of inspiration.
Designed in part to help chase away the winter blahs that engulf millions of Canadians in January and February, participants are “invited to submit the name of someone who stands out with their smile, generosity and daily good deeds and help make the world a better place.”
A total of 36 dream vacation packages for two in one of Transat’s top winter vacation destinations are being offered, as well as 36 gift certificates worth $500 each to those who nominate a winning entry that can be put toward future travel down south.
“This is the second year we have had this contest and it is the greatest time of year to hold it,” says Debbie Cabana, marketing director of social media and public relations with Transat. “Blue Monday, which will occur on Jan. 18, is rumoured to be the most depressing day of the year.
“For us, to have this type of contest and put the spotlight on a person who is doing great stuff around them without anyone knowing about it and give them a reward in January when it is cold and many people are feeling down, is a great, great thing to do.
“Everybody loves to travel; everybody loves sun and to discover new places. In French, there is an expression, marchand de bonheur, which in English translates into a ‘ merchant of happiness.’ It worked really well last year and we are pleased to do it again this year.”
There are currently only 35 packages available as a result of this submission received earlier this month: “Mackenzie makes not only me, but dozens of other people happy on a regular basis,” Houlgrave wrote. “He is a no B.S. kind of guy and can always find the good in a person and bring it out. His career as a personal trainer is one that he does with so much love that his clients are more like his family and he cares for them unconditionally.
“When I have been at my worst, he is the person that has picked me up, numerous times, with just some simple words that ‘ nothing worth having comes easily.’ He never asks for anything in return, but is constantly giving to others and that is why he is my ‘ray of sunshine.’”
Clarke, not unexpectedly and true to character, notes: “I was brought up in a household that was based on leaving the world a little bit better than how you found it.
“You spread the wealth when you can. Whenever something really good happens in someone’s life, the best thing about it is that you wouldn’t be standing there unless there was all that traipsing in the mud and all the hard work.”
Houlgrave could not agree more.
Visit canada. com/ cont ests/ RayOfSunshine to nominate your Ray of Sunshine and learn more about the program.
YOU SPREAD THE WEALTH WHEN YOU CAN