Defence for Children International-Canada  is pleased to invite you to attend a   Celebration of the Life of Les Horne

So many are grieving the recent loss of Les Horne, first Child Advocate in Ontario, founding member of DCI-Canada and true champion for children. Several of those who knew him well will reminisce about his life and the contributions he made to the lives of those he touched. There will also be an opportunity for guests to speak of their own encounters with him, and celebrate his wit, his kind generosity, his wisdom, as well as the breadth of his knowledge and the skill with which he negotiated and often reshaped Ontario’s system of services for children. Les Horne was present at the United Nations when the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted and then gathered a committed group together to form DCI-Canada, taking on responsibility as the organization’s volunteer Executive Director for more than 20 years.

Les Horne was always there ………Poem by Betty Makoni

There is a time when I meet people with a purpose

There are moments when such   people are with points and pointers

Such people are always there even   if my audience be counted as one

They fill the space not with numbers, but their love and compassion

They are not there as VIP (Very Important People)

There are just there with no VI (Very Important) but just people

Attentive ears and solid solidarity

One man who stands out amongst such people is Les Horne

Les Horne was just always there ……………………………………..

Today I mourn for a man whose seat at front row middle is empty

But whose compassionate spirit fills our hearts

The man I saw leading a big applause when I spoke

Now with this poem I know will raise his spiritual applause

A man who with his heart served children quietly and efficiently

A man who every time I touched land of Canada touched my hand

Made me stronger in moments of persecution back home

A man who believed in others and believed support to others was support to children

Children never his but fought for day and night

Founder of Defence for Children International

Les who was always there………………………………………….

Those who spoke he paid attention, he asked questions

Those who were new as me he sought to know and embrace

That seat Les Horne took to listen is one seat I know through and through

It`s empty and its emptiness leaves quite some void

Even as he physically not there because he was always there

Les Horne is always here now, spiritually

For how can only today he not  be here

When he was on time here always

Les Horne is and was always there ……………………………………Rest In

Betty Makoni is CNN Hero for protecting the powerless, Global Decade child rights hero. Named by Newsweek as one of 150 women who shake the world. She has Twenty six Global awards for Excellency, innovation and passion for girls empowerment in Zimbabwe and round the worldBetty Makoni principle is that : As long as this work seeks to empower girls we will deliver with great passion._

Event to launch a fund in Memory of Les Horne

The Les Horne “Rights in Action” Award for Children and Youth

In memory of Les, this award of up to $1000 will be presented by DCI Canada on an annual basis to a young person or group of young people whose proposal to promote children’s rights is selected. As we launch it this November 17th, we are asking you as friends of Les Horne to contribute to a fund to support this award in his memory. All contributions, large or small, will be gratefully received. If you are unable to attend the memorial event on the 17th, you may contribute by cheque to DCI Canada  (Les Horne Award).*

* Charitable receipts will be provided for donations of $10.00