Thread by @NeetuGarcha

Four years ago today we lost a true hero. A dear friend & an incredible inspiration to so many, including me. @BenjaminCole changed our lives, teaching us what true, long-term sustainable change can look like & how hard yet important it is to effectively help people & the planet.

Cole & two other humanitarians, Chuck & Candy Ritzen, were on a plane that crashed off the shore of the Dominican Republic on their way back from delivering aid to hurricane-ravaged areas of #Haiti. I’ll never forget the moment I found out while in the @GlobalOkanagan newsroom.

I wasn’t fortunate enough to meet Chuck or Candy but during dear friend @sgraygoose’s bachelorette trip in 2016, we were blessed enough to visit the educational monkey jungle & zip line business they founded in DR to fund a on-site dental & medical clinic: hadac.org

Cole’s tireless devotion to aiding people living in poverty in truly impactful ways, changed my life. He taught how it takes hard work, research & incredible thought to effectively help communities long term saying “there are many well-intentioned ppl who do more harm than good.”

I met Cole in 2012 on my 1st volunteer trip to #Haiti. To the left is what Ecole Union, the school he devoted his life to constructing & growing, looked like then (taken by Cole; he was also an incredible photographer). To the right is a more recent photo from @LiveDiff.

Among the last times I saw Cole in #Haiti he was thrilled to have just helped secure land to build a centre for trafficked children through what is called the “rest avec” system. Impoverished families give up their kids in hopes of a better life for them but they end up enslaved.

His vision for that centre continues to be pursued by @LiveDiff.

Here’s one of the latest updates from the Hamilton, Ontario-based charity on that work.

As soon as Cole learned of “rest avec” & how it exploits children, he knew he wanted to do something.

This was his dream.

In 2015/16 I filmed & produced a documentary for #ShawTV on @BenjaminCole’s work w/ @LiveDiff, his vision, his incredible insight & advice on how we can all use our individual skills & passion to be forces for good in this world

Here’s a link to that doc:

While talking to Cole for my film, I had no idea this would become the only documented video-graphed long-form interview with him.

This is among his most powerful quotes from it.

His words have and will continue to inspire generations of people around the world.

This was @BenjaminCole’s last #Instagram post & it sparked the creation of @LiveDiff’s #LoveLegacy in his honour.

This is the cause that’s closest to my heart & one I firmly stand behind.

Here’s more info & how you can support: livedifferent.com/benjamincole/

Thank you 🙏🏽 ❤️