It came to me as a blessing
- Diane Fisher
One story that stays with me is about a woman from Africa who had three small children, and her husband had to leave. She really had trouble thinking about how to manage her parenting skills on her own and the life of her family. We matched her with a couple who took her in like a daughter. They helped her with parenting and with life. A few years later, I got an invitation to their citizenship ceremony. She looked so happy. That’s what I needed to see.
I moved to Calgary in 1978 with my family, not knowing that I was about to begin a lifelong mission. I was Alberta-born, had lived in Toronto, and came with no experience in immigration work. But soon, I got involved with the private sponsorship program through my parish. I still remember the first family we sponsored—how we just sat and looked at each other, not knowing what to say. They couldn’t speak English, and I didn’t speak their language. But I was drawn in.
I always think it’s a blessing that God put in my heart. It just gave me a direction for my life, helped me to develop my leadership skills.
By 1985, I joined the Calgary Host Program. It was a pilot project back then, aimed at supporting government-assisted refugees. I came on board in November, and from day one, I knew I was in the right place. We were building something from scratch— Cabrini House, outreach programs, employment counselling, daycare, nutrition, and home management. The seeds of the present CCIS were all there.
In 1989, I became a notary public to help immigrants with their professional documents. I’m still a notary today. Around that time, I also started doing cultural training for Canadian Pacific Hotels in Banff, Jasper, and Lake Louise. They were hiring many immigrants and needed help understanding how to work well with them. I travelled to those places and provided that training. It was fascinating to see how early we had identified trends that would grow and mature.
I’ve always said this work was my destiny. I didn’t plan it. It came to me as a surprise, a blessing. I’m nearly 80 now, and I’m still here—still learning, still sharing. I believe you should work as long as you have something to offer.