My Top 5 Moments of 2025: A Year of Purpose, Passion, and Impact

As I reflect on 2025, I'm filled with gratitude for a year that tested my limits and reminded me why this work matters. I'm incredibly proud that we touched 1,712,000 lives across eight countries, channeling over 80 percent of our resources directly through local partners. But beyond the numbers, here are my top five moments:

1. Cowboy Christmas: A Partnership That Moved a Nation

On a cold Wednesday night in December, my wife and I drove 3.5 hours through minus-20-degree weather to Virden, Manitoba—population 3,300. We were heading to the "Aud," a classic Western Canada opera house built around 1912 and adjoined to the Virden Court House. People started lining up hours before the show in Virden. The show was sold out—all 500 tickets.

This was part of the Cowboy Christmas Tour, a coast-to-coast journey across Canada throughout November and December featuring country stars George Canyon and Aaron Pritchett. They partnered with Children Believe and made a life-changing trip to Ghana, where they witnessed our work firsthand. At every show, they’ve been sharing their Ghana experience with audiences and performing their new hit song "Children Believe."

Watching George and Aaron and hearing them talk about what they'd witnessed in Ghana was inspiring. Their authenticity was undeniable. At intermission, people lined up in droves to buy the Christmas CD, with proceeds supporting our work which they called the "cause."

What moved me most was when locals expressed surprise that someone from Toronto would drive to their opera house in Virden. But that's the point. This partnership brought our mission to communities across Canada in a way facts and figures never could, inspiring action in unexpected places.

2. Crossing the Finish Line: Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon

On October 19th, I once again ran the half marathon with Team Believe. Year after year, this race represents my ongoing commitment to the cause.

The hill training became my teacher. Every steep climb reminded me of our work: the uphill battles communities face, the sustained effort required, the moments when you want to stop but can't. Just as each hill made me stronger, every challenge builds our capacity to serve children better.

Through my personal fundraising, I raised over $3,000—more than double my target. The medal hangs in my office as a reminder that when we push through difficult stretches, we achieve more than imagined.

Above: Fred training for the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon

3. Witnessing Impact Firsthand: My Trip to Paraguay

Sometimes you need to step away from spreadsheets and stand face-to-face with the reason your organization exists.

I arrived in Paraguay during a challenging week in November —Canada's Budget 2025 had just cut $2.7 billion from international assistance. But being there transformed frustration into determination and reinforced a fundamental truth: sustainable change happens through partnership.

I met with our local staff, sat with community members whose stories proved Canadian assistance works, visited partner organizations, and met new partners to expand into additional regions. I engaged with government officials and connected with local musicians using art to inspire youth.

As part of a coalition of over 100 NGOs, we expressed concern that Budget 2025 undermines Canadian leadership. Yet the resilience I witnessed reminded me why we can't give up. Communities aren't waiting for perfect conditions—they're multiplying every opportunity through courage and creativity.

4. Revolutionizing Donor Transparency: Giving Tuesday 2025

This Giving Tuesday, we invited donors on a journey with real-time tracking showing exactly how donations transform lives over six months.

Our campaign funded four water systems in India and Ghana. In India, Abinayasree—nine months pregnant—walks four hours daily collecting water. In Ghana, twelve-year-old Hamidau misses school fetching water from a dried-up dam.

I've seen this reality in Ghana. Walking alongside women, witnessing them skim brown, muddy water from shallow ponds—water they know isn't safe but have no choice but to use. It's suffering, repeated daily.

Donors will receive milestone updates as they happen, receiving visuals of bore-wells as they are drilled, they’ll see clean water that will now come from taps in their communities and hear directly from community testimonials. This isn't just charity. It's partnership and transparency.

I also made my own donation to support this important initiative.

5. Leading Canada's G7 Education Advocacy Coalition

Children Believe co-led one of the most important advocacy campaigns in our history. As part of a coalition of over 40 organizations, we launched the #YESfor12 campaign.

With funds from Canada's last Summit drying up, millions of education projects were ending. In May, we unveiled our proposal: ensure 12 million more children worldwide can complete 12 years of safe, quality education.

Education is a lifeline. It protects children from violence today while giving them the chance to choose a better life tomorrow. Canada has a proud tradition of peacekeeping—this was our chance for a legacy of peacebuilding.

Having Children Believe at the table, making our voices heard, reminded me that advocacy is about showing up consistently and refusing to let 222 million children be forgotten.

Looking Ahead

This year proved that when we set ambitious goals and back them with action, community, and unwavering commitment to children's rights, change happens. While poverty is complex, helping isn't. At Children Believe, we will keep removing obstacles, creating opportunities, and remaining steadfast in our commitment to ensuring children can access an education and stay in school—because education is the most powerful tool they can use to achieve their full potential.

Thank you to everyone who ran alongside me this year—literally and figuratively. Here's to 2026 and the work ahead.