A man who has touched the lives of many and been a consummate community builder for more than three decades celebrated his retirement on May 9.
Chris Sheridan was surrounded by friends and family at the Caruso Club on Monday night, at a celebration in his honour with a much bigger turnout than he expected.
“They kept me in the dark for this, I was told this was going to be a small gathering,” said Sheridan.
“I think there's like 220 people here and I really appreciate everyone coming out here and congratulating me, it should be a really fun evening.”
Nineteen years ago, the House of Kin opened its doors for the first time, and has been helping people ever since. To date, the House of Kin has provided a home away from home for over 300,000 people.
In 1982, Sheridan was leaving a board meeting at the Memorial Hospital, when he noticed people sleeping in their cars and in the chairs of the lobby.
He discovered that these people were there supporting a friend or a family member who were undergoing specialized medical treatment, and could not afford regular hotel rates.
With the help of the local hotel/motel associations, the program's concept was developed and presented to the local Sudbury Kinsmen Club. In the fall of 1983, the program began providing hotel rooms at a substantially lower cost to qualified applicants. In the first year, the Kinsmen Club assisted 120 families, and in the second year, 280 families.
In 1997 the foundation was able to purchase an existing motor hotel, the Grand Prix Inn, and changed the name to the House of Kin.
Jim Conrad was at Sheridan's side for much of the journey (since 1980) and made the trip up to Sudbury from Kitchener for the evening to congratulate his long-time friend and co-worker.
“Chris's commitment to things has been amazing since the time I've known him,” said Conrad. “He brought me into the Sudbury Kinsmen Club and he's been running it this whole time. When other people can't get things done he's there to make sure it gets done and he's so committed. He's just an amazing person.”
In 2009, after the management and staff at the House of Kin conducted a survey of guests who stayed at the hotel, it was established that a few upgrades were necessary.
Through several fundraising ventures, including mail outs, grant applications, room sponsorship opportunities, and more, enough money was raised to complete an addition to the building.
A handicap suite, a wheelchair accessible washroom, an elevator, a quiet room, a security system and an in-house guest laundry facility were all added to increase the home away from home feel of the hotel.
Sheridan and Conrad can also be attributed to running Sudbury's youth football program back in the early 1980's when it was being run by the Kinsmen Club, and now stands as Joe MacDonald Youth Football.
“That was a major commitment in the fall and every Sunday we were out there for five or six hours,” said Conrad.
“We convened and organized the league and we had a riot with it.”
The 67-year-old Sheridan is a pillar in Sudbury's sports community as well, as the commander-in-chief of the Sudbury Sports Hall of Fame, which was founded in 2008.
Another familiar face in the Sudbury sports community, Randy Pascal, was on hand for Sheridan's big night and spoke about the role Sheridan has played in promoting the sporting community in the city.
“It's people like Chris that have opened the door for the rest of us to pick up and follow suit. He's done so much for the sporting community and that's just one of the areas of the community that he's touched,” said Pascal.
“In a city where everyone agreed that there was a need for a (sports) hall of fame, very few people actually stepped up to do the leg work that was required to put it together and get it running, and Chris did. On an annual basis, the hall of fame dinner is a packed house and it's one of my favourite dates of the year because it's a who's who of the sporting community.”
Sheridan will remain on the board of the Sudbury Sports Hall of Fame, despite retiring from House of Kin.
While his co-workers at House of Kin say he will be sorely missed, they agree that he deserves his retirement, and Sheridan is confident that the organization is in great hands.
“There will always be things that have to be done, being a non-profit registered charity, we have to continue to fundraise,” said Sheridan.
“We have a great board and a great lady, Sister Sarah Quakenbush who will be the new chair and we have some people within the organization that are all advancing up.”
Quackenbush and company wasted no time showing that they can put on a great event, by organizing Sheridan's retirement party right under his nose without him suspecting the surprise they had in store.
“We certainly recognize all the years and work that he has put in an he has been a hallmark in the community, and he's so committed to people who come to town for medical care,” said Quackenbush.
“We're going to miss him but he'll stay active with us on the board.”
House of Kin fundraising and marketing coordinator Karly Bortolotti may not have the 30-year working relationship with Sheridan that some in attendance had, but she spoke highly of her mentor all the same.
“I've been there for four years, and Chris met me at my former restaurant,” said Bortolotti, who used to own a Gonga's Grill.
“He's such a great boss and he used to come into the restaurant all the time and him and I would chat and when I told him I was leaving he came in and basically offered me an interview right away, and I went in and they hired me four years ago and I just love what I do.”
Getting a word in with Sheridan during his celebration was no small task, as dozens lined up to congratulate him.
Not surprising to Bortolotti, who says Chris's connections around the city have made her job much easier.
“You can't say the name Chris Sheridan to someone and they don't know who he is,” she said.
“You say his name and everyone seems to have a story about a positive impact that he's had in their lives, he just has a very personal touch and people remember him.”
