Amy Howlett and Brian Tebby

If you’ve spent much time around the Alberta Diabetes Foundation, chances are you’ve encountered the smiling face of Brian, one of our most dedicated volunteers.

Brian, who has Down Syndrome, has helped out at the ADF for over 12 years, as a way of showing support for his sister Joy, a diabetic.

When he shows up for his shifts—four hours a day, four days a week—he instantly lifts the spirits of everyone in the Edmonton office. “We all love Brian, says Executive Director Kathy Fitzgerald. “He's always in a great mood, and he’s so eager to pitch in.”

Brian contributes in many ways, including stuffing envelopes, sorting supplies, counting change, and taking out the recycling. The ADF staff find other ways to keep him busy as well. Explains Event Coordinator Kate Rieger, “We hide Brian’s lunch every day, and make him find it before he can eat. It started out as a joke, but it turned into a ritual. He’s really disappointed if we forget to do it.”

A big fan of Spiderman, The Addams Family, and the Edmonton Oilers (win or lose!), Brian turned 55 on March 31, 2011. He’s also an avid traveller; he has visited Hawaii, and is currently returned from a trip to Disneyland with his sister.

Brian always arrives at the ADF with a smile, he’s always sure to leave the same way. “Every day, before he leaves, he says the same thing,” says Rieger. “He tells us,  ‘Stay out of trouble!’”