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“Pinball”ing through the audience - Clemons lives up to reputation
Throughout his career, Michael Clemons has thrived on being where his defenders least expected him. So we really shouldn’t have been all that surprised when he deaked us out too. The assumption was on Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009 at Calgary’s Bravest Men gala event, Michael “Pinball” Clemons would get up on the stage and he would give his speech. And despite a number of meetings with Pinball – talking about key messages and what Calgary’s Bravest Men’s gala event was about – well, we never ever talked about HOW he would present. The stage was set to accommodate him - because he’d said he liked to move around – with a wireless microphone and 640 ft2 of space. But after less than 5 minutes, Pinball was off the stage and was working his way in amongst the tables of the Calgary’s Bravest Men attendees – very true to his nickname. It actually started during dinner, when Pinball took the opportunity to visit a number of tables and welcome the attendees to the event. The rest of the room got an opportunity to feel up close with him, when he gave his stirring message: “I play this game for you”. Past speakers at the gala have talked about their journey from being abused and their hope of an abuse-free future. The choice of Michael Clemons was a concerted change for Calgary Counselling Centre’s signature event. Although he had a brush with domestic abuse, he wasn’t personally the one who was abused. Pinball’s story was of knowing abuse existed, how it affected his view of the world and his challenge to people to work to eliminate abuse in our community. In a city celebrating a fun Grey Cup event, it was a wonderful, inspirational message of hope. Comparing the role a person plays in the community to that of a team player, he challenged the audience to consider their role to help their team be victorious. Pinball reminded us that if one team member is hurting, or is experiencing abuse, then the whole team suffers. “I play this game for you” – was his reminder that as a team, together we can win.The message clearly resonated with Calgary’s Bravest Men attendees. The next day, talking to school kids at the Calgary’s Bravest Men Youth Forum, we learned our lesson and didn’t expect him to stay on stage. And for 1,800 students, it was fun to keep up with Pinball’s whereabouts. His reminder – at both events – was to be proud of the choices you make in life and ensure you make a difference in your community. His plea: be brave and make a difference. I play this game for YOU. |
