October 22, 2025 – Vision Gathering

Ambassadors of Compassion Canada Society
Ocean Point Business Centre – Surrey, BC

On October 22, 2025, we gathered together with outstanding leaders, community youth workers, educators, business leaders, and investors to support our re-launch into Canada — marking our first major step since piloting in Lower Mainland schools from 2009–2015.

This Vision Gathering brought together our Society and a passionate group of community leaders, business persons, youth-care workers, and caring individuals who want to help our youth through our 12-week AOCCS in-school program, designed to build mental and emotional resiliency in students.

We are thrilled to share that both our programs —
R.I.S.E. (Middle School) and L.I.F.E. (High School) —
are fully sponsored through generous donors, partners, and philanthropic supporters.

This milestone event represents our growing national movement to make compassion-driven resiliency education accessible to youth across Canada.

October 23, 2025 – Vision Gathering

Ambassadors of Compassion Canada Society
Innovation Centre – Kelowna, BC

On October 23, 2025, we gathered at the Kelowna Innovation Centre with outstanding community leaders, educators, youth-care workers, business leaders, nonprofit partners, and local investors to continue building momentum for the Ambassadors of Compassion re-launch across Canada.

This Kelowna Vision Gathering brought together individuals who care deeply about youth mental and emotional resiliency, and who recognize the urgent need for preventative, compassion-driven programming in the Okanagan — a region with some of the highest youth mental-health and suicide-related concerns in British Columbia.

Our Society, together with passionate community champions, met to support the rollout of our 12-week AOCCS in-school program, designed to strengthen mental and emotional resilience for Canadian youth.

We are proud to share that both of our programs —
R.I.S.E. (Middle School) and L.I.F.E. (High School) —
are fully sponsored through generous donors, partners, and philanthropic supporters, ensuring no school pays to participate.

This Kelowna event marked another significant step in expanding our regional and national footprint and deepening our commitment to local youth, families, schools, and communities.

October 24, 2025 – National Information Session for Adults

Ambassadors of Compassion Canada Society
Live from HCOS / Flex Academy – Kelowna, BC

On October 24, 2025, we hosted a national information session for adults, broadcast live from the HCOS/Flex Academy building in Kelowna to participants across North America. This was an important proof of concept, demonstrating how youth in both remote and in-person settings can participate in the same experience simultaneously — a critical component in making AOCCS accessible to all communities, including rural and remote regions.

Educators, youth workers, and mental-health professionals walked through the exact kickoff experience that youth will receive before continuing through the remaining 11 weeks within their schools. This live demonstration allowed attendees to see how R.I.S.E. (Middle School) and L.I.F.E. (High School) unfold in real time, and how the compassion-based framework creates emotional stability, resilience, and connection.

For the first time, we witnessed a national network of organizations aligned toward a single shared goal:
stabilizing and elevating youth across Canada and beyond.

This gathering helped solidify the collaborative foundation needed for provincial and national rollout, and demonstrated that AOCCS is ready to serve youth in multiple formats — live, hybrid, and remote.

NEW VIDEO FOR LIVERMORE SEPT 25, 2025 

CO PRODUCED WITH CANADA AND THE US- WITH CANADIAN TEACHERS PRESENT. recent highlights of our recent work in California, where Ambassadors of Compassion Canada Society (AOCCS) and TFC Billie Jo Aasen partnered with Ambassadors of Compassion U.S., Rotary International, and Las Positas College to deliver a powerful youth resilience kickoff experience. Ambassadors of Compassion is a prevention-based mental and emotional resilience program that helps youth build empathy, confidence, leadership skills, and emotional stability through structured mentorship and community collaboration. To date, the program has impacted over 100,000 students internationally, including our original Canadian pilot from 2009–2015. AOCCS is now returning and expanding across Canada, beginning in Kelowna, BC, to address the growing mental-health challenges facing youth. This video captures the heart, scale, and impact of our kickoff model — showing how communities, educators, business leaders, and volunteers come together to support youth in a transformational 12-week journey.

LA Trip | December 1–7, 2025

Our recent trip to Los Angeles was both meaningful and affirming, reflecting the depth of relationships and the genuine community surrounding Ambassadors of Compassion. Our Director of Sponsorships, Tom Brooks, joined us for his first visit to LA, alongside longtime Ambassadors of Compassion captain Maggie McDonough (Angel Island–Tiburon Ferry). Together, we spent time with friends and champions who truly care about strengthening and supporting youth, including a special stop with our dear friend Rachel McCord on her TV show in Brentwood.

The week also offered a glimpse of the quiet star power we are humbled to call friends of Ambassadors of Compassion—leaders who use their influence with heart and purpose. Longtime supporter Clark Hunt, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs and a trusted friend of our Chairman of the Board, Dave Hannah, continues his more than 20-year support of Ambassadors of Compassion, with a quick Zoom segment filmed shortly after the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win.

Candace and the team  spent time with long-standing Hollywood relationships include iconic actress and singer Dyan Cannon (two-time Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner); actress and longtime supporter Stephanie Kramer; TV Series “ Hunter”Hollywood stunt legend, star of the  TV series on  Netflix- Drive Hard the Maloof Way and automotive innovator Sammy Maloof took us on a few stunt rides outside his shop in LA, and Candace did her yearly  “ beat Sammy at an arm wrestle fun” and new friends connected with the Goldie Hawn Foundation. Candace’s  close friend and co producer for  over 20 years – 2-  Emmy award winning producer Neisha Cohen (Publicist for Ice Cube Big 3 and gave David Letterman his start on TV ) joined in the fun.

We were also honoured when Terry Esau invited us to join his Free Guitars for Kids giveaway in Pasadena and introduced us to his team, and  guitarist Brent Paschke, who plays with Pharrell Williams. These are not surface-level encounters, but trusted friendships rooted in shared values, generosity, and a deep commitment to compassion, mentorship, and creating real opportunities for young people”