The WE Cautionary Parable

Craig became an accomplished motivational speaker, and who doesn't like an articulate, passionate kid? Eventually he co-wrote a book,

WE rally

It's strange but through the years I've been aware of Craig Keilburger and his brother Marc through the Me to We organization which seemed to become progressively larger with massive inspirational rallies with young people. I didn't quite understand what eventually was called WE actually did, but I assumed it was worthwhile. A number of major corporations became sponsors, and the federal government provided million of dollars in support.

Of course we're all aware that the Keilburgers, Prime Minister Trudeau, and Finance Minister Morneau are all in hot water for what appears to be an ill-conceived pandemic support program for youth which would have cost Canadian taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. I really don't think that this nefarious, but it sure seems dumb, and smacks of privilege all round. The Keilburger brothers maintain that the government approached them to administer this program and that WE wouldn't have profited. 

Now sponsors are abandoning WE, even though it may still be involved in very worthwhile work.Corporations are fickle when it comes to bad press. 

In some respects the Keilburger story is a parable of a kind. A compassionate boy who attended Catholic schools who eventually becomes the smooth-talking corporate leader. It seems as though the earnest tween has morphed into a corporate exec, even if this is supposedly a not-for-profit organization, and he is required to defend the indefensible. It's cautionary and rather sad. I have the feeling that the brothers are decent people who will be required to reconsider their mandate.

It always makes sense for us to vigilant about our financial contributions to organizations, including religious institutions. We've heard in the past week about a charity supported by thousands of evangelical churches in Canada and the US which hasn't been doing the work in Asia it says its been doing. I was always aware when we solicited funds within congregations or asked the wider public to support outreach initiatives that trust was paramount and without it we could not flourish or fulfill our mission. 

Thoughts?