Exceeding expectations
But Theresa and Fred got more than they bargained for when Craig took the idea of real-life experiences to the extreme. At age 13 he begged to go off to Asia for seven weeks to meet child labourers and learn about their lives firsthand with a human-rights worker who agreed to accompany him. Again Marc had already blazed the trail. He and Roxanne, who Marc met in his high school days and is now involved with Leaders Today, had taken time off from university to do volunteer work in Thailand with mothers and babies with HIV/AIDS. Still, it took Craig a long time to convince Mom and Dad to let him venture off to Asia, although it was something he clearly wanted so deeply. Theresa and Fred finally agreed once they were assured that the trip would be safe and Craig had raised half the airfare himself.
For years, Craig and Marc's endeavours took over the Kielburger home, which was the former FTC headquarters. "Sometimes I'd have 50 kids in the house," says Theresa. Marc adds that they often had dinner sitting on the couch because the dining room table was covered with FTC material. Eventually Theresa and Fred put their feet down and reclaimed their home. The FTC office moved to downtown Toronto a couple of years ago, but the family house still serves as the warehouse for its supplies, with spare bedrooms, the basement and garage filled floor to ceiling with school kits, medical supplies and furniture – all waiting to be sent to new projects. "We have never parked our car in the garage – never. It's always full of stuff being shipped to Africa or South America," says Theresa.
Page 3 of 5 - Read page four to find out why the Kielburgers love what they do
