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Hotson has had his listening ears on 29 years By Nathan Howes SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER For nearly 30 years, Eric Hotson, 68, has been there to care. The Distress Centre Oakville (DCO) volunteer received the Stella Perkins Award at The Kensington recently for his 29 years of service. The award is named after Stella Perkins, who was the centre's first executive director when it was founded in 1974. Perkins played a key role in community awareness and education until she retired, said board of directors chair Sally Fazal. "Eric Hotson epitomizes all of the qualities we hope to honour in recipients of the Stella Perkins Award. He has made a sustained contribution to the development and growth of the Distress Centre (Oakville)," said Fazal. Having first volunteered in 1983, Hotson is the DCO's longest-serving volunteer. As a training director, he developed DCO's current volunteer training program. He first met Perkins in 1981 when he was working as a human resources manager at Oakville's General Electric plant. He was sent a letter from the centre looking for donations. "I didn't even know what a distress centre was, but I was intrigued by the name. I called to see what the organization was all about," said Hotson. "Someone (got) back to me -- it was Stella. I did manage to send in a donation and I decided I wanted to volunteer." Hotson has given thousands of hours to Distress Centre Oakville -- handling calls on the distress lines, fundraising, community outreach, volunteer training, and serving on the board of directors. He has trained more than 500 volunteers and runs two seven-week Eric Hotson training sessions per year. "He understands the need for a listening ear and has endeavoured to provide exceptional service to our callers. He possesses the qualities of compassion, empathy, understanding and hard work that make Distress Centre Oakville the success it is," said Fazal. Hotson works with the board and staff to develop and implement the new Telecheck service and future online crisis services. He has helped create new programs and best practices for DCO and has also been active on several Distress Centres Ontario committees. Throughout his years of service, Hotson most enjoys the fact that the centre and his contributions have helped many people, he said. "People who are lonely, people who are ill and people (who) are isolated in their lives, we help them. We have a place where they can call and talk to someone about what's going on in their life and what their problems are," said Hotson. "It's easy to do something you feel strongly about. It's not a chore. I like the fact that I've been able to train a lot of people because that is my primary role." Earlier this year, Distress Centres Ontario created the Eric Hotson Lifetime Achievement Award to recognize a volunteer who exemplifies the spirit of volunteerism by generously donating their time and expertise to their centre. "Stella Perkins was just a marvelous lady. To think that I would receive an honor in her name really means a lot to me. This is something I will remember and cherish always." Distress Centre Oakville is a United Way-funded agency. For more, visit www.distresscentreoakville. com. 9 · Wednesday, November 21, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com it all started when my baby stopped breathing... She was only three weeks old when Lexie suddenly stopped breathing in my arms. Within seconds, my beautiful, healthy baby turned blue and I was frantic. Once she was in the emergency department, the doctors and nurses took over and diagnosed Lexie with a respiratory virus. She was in the hospital for a week with monitors and oxygen devices helping her breathe, but today she is a healthy and proud big sister to her brother Liam thanks to the life-saving equipment in our hospital. Each and every year, our hospital needs hundreds of pieces of new equipment that will improve the lives of all of us here in Oakville. Every piece is critical and every piece needs to be funded by our community. It all starts here with your help. Please give generously. OakvilleHospitalFoundation.com Please call 905 338 4642 to make a difference by donating to the Oakville Hospital Foundation. Charitable Registration #: 13145-3490 RR0001 The Oakville Hospital Foundation is grateful for the generous support of our media sponsor, the Oakville Beaver. Lexie and Liam Evans in Erchless Park, Oakville Lemon Love Photography