On a long, slow drive from Oshawa, Ont., to Mississauga, Ont., in the midst of a fierce snowstorm, June Warenycia and her father, Ron, watched as the car in front struggled to manoeuvre.

“His lights were fading, and he pulled over to the side, so my dad stopped to see what was the matter,” June recalls. 

The driver’s car battery had died, and his wife and two children were in the car. Ron took out his cables, gave them a boost and followed them to make sure they got home safely.

“I asked him, ‘Why did you do that? You didn’t even know them.’ ” June shares. “That’s when he told me the story of my grandfather.”

Wartime Act of Kindness

Joe Alderson was a single man in his 20s from the Bruce Peninsula area of Ontario when he left home to serve overseas in the First World War. Near the end of the conflict, his unit was attacked and gassed in their trenches. Joe spent a year recovering from his wounds at Christie Street Hospital, the First World War veterans’ hospital in Toronto.

The day before he was set to be discharged, he became despondent about the future. A Salvation Army pastor noticed and said, “You should be happy, son, you’re finally going home.” 

Joe explained that his only possession was his shot-up and bloody uniform and that he had no money to provide for himself. 

“Just a minute,” the pastor replied. “I’ll be back.”

“A little while later, the Salvation Army pastor returned with clothes, some money to tide Joe over, an address where he could get room and board, and the name of a man he could go and see about a job at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company,” says June. “That’s where he was employed for the rest of his working life.”

Helping Others

While working at Goodyear, Joe met and married his wife, Cassie, and together they took in two infant nephews, raising them along with their five children in a two-bedroom home. 

“He instilled sharing what you have and helping others in need with his children and grandchildren,” says June. 

Joe died at the age 76 on April 28, 1966.

 “He was a very quiet, humble man, and I was only 14 when he died, but it was the first time I’d lost one of my family members,” June continues. “Somany people showed up to the funeralhome, they had to open up two extra rooms to put all the flowers in.” 

June worked as a medical secretary for 47 years, 37 of which were at Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital, before retiring. She enjoys using her talents to knit and crochet blankets, which she donates to her friend’s church to keep people warm in northern communities. 

Ron donated to The Salvation Army until he died in 1998. June has supported The Salvation Army for more than 15 years, grateful for the care her grandfather received in his time of need.

“It started with a Salvation Army pastor—he was the one that put this all into motion,” says June. “He helped my grandfather get his start at rebuilding his life, and if he hadn’t come along when he did, none of this would have happened.“

That one act of kindness—helping a man when he was down—blossomed into a lifetime of giving.”

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