Growth from the Ground Up
Glori Meldrum
Glori Meldrum is the president of g2 Marketing Inc. in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She is the current and first female president of EO Edmonton. Glori is a three-time Ernst and Young "Entrepreneur of the Year" nominee and was the only Canadian finalist for the Stevie Awards "Woman Entrepreneur" in 2005. Glori also received the YWCA "Woman of Distinction Award" for entrepreneur of the year.
Unfortunately, my story is not uncommon. I am a statistic.
It was New Year’s Eve 1981. That was the first time it happened. At the age of eight, he robbed me of my innocence and changed my life forever.
The abuse continued for more than a year and a half. He said that if I ever told anyone, he would kill my mother and my sister. I believed him.
Ridiculed, silenced and scorned by my family, I felt alone and abandoned. When I was 12 years old, I sat on my bathroom floor with a razor in my hand contemplating the value and suffering of my short life. In that moment, instead of choosing to give up, I made a choice to live and fight. That day, I became a little warrior.
This past August, I attended Montreal University. My experiences there propelled my life in a direction that I knew I needed to go. During the presentation of the Kauffman Community Awards, I was inspired by the story of David Ash. His mother Vivian had lived and died on the streets. When she passed away, David took 1.2 million dollars of his own money and started the Vivian Shelter in downtown Vancouver for homeless women. In that moment, my whole life came together… peace met purpose… my "aha" moment.
For more than six months, I had been searching for a charity that educated society on the sexual abuse of children. I kept looking but could not find one. As he spoke, I realized that one did not exist and it was my job to start one. I was so inspired that I wrote a ten-page business plan — right there in the general session room — to develop a not-for-profit organization that would fight for the rights of kids who have been sexually abused.
I have been putting the Little Warriors foundation together ever since that day. Little Warriors will be an organization that pulls together all current resources under one umbrella and creates new resources that do not exist. I want to tap my own personal experiences and use what I have learned as an entrepreneur to build a system that works.
I know it’s a big dream, but someone needs to stand up for these kids and stop the abuse. And isn’t that what we — entrepreneurs — do? We have big dreams. We have a vision, and we push forward toward our goal until we see it realized. I want to give these kids that same chance. So, I am willing to open my life and the horrors of my past to the public.
At Montreal University, I had an epiphany that has changed my life and will hopefully change the lives of these tough little kids. I want to introduce these children to another type of life-changing experience— one that brings healing instead of pain.
It has taken me 24 years to finally come forward, but following Montreal University, I pressed charges against my abuser. And once again, my life has changed forever.
For more information about Little Warriors, call +1.780.447.1343 or visit
www.littlewarriors.ca.
