Основатель центра «Дреам» в Калгари, помогавший бездомным и зависимым, скончался

Founder of Calgary Dream Centre and champion of city's vulnerable dies Calgary’s Dream Centre is mourning the death of founder Jim Moore, whose vision was to assist the city’s needy with compassion, they said Tuesday. Moore died Sunday surrounded by loved ones, about three years after resigning as CEO from the agency he led for two decades, current CEO R. Craig Hill and board chair Bob Nash said in a statement. They said his compassion for the less fortunate and the action he took to support them was a lifelong passion. “Whether serving children and youth through the church or giving away his own lunch to someone who needed it more, Jim loved people deeply,” said Hill and Nash. “He was a dreamer with a remarkable ability to see hope and possibility in places others might overlook.” The agency he created has assisted those facing substance-abuse issues, homelessness and other challenges. Moore’s formative years were spent at the former Eight Avenue Church, now known as First Assembly, in the city’s downtown. There, he would accompany his father in bringing comfort to clients at The Lighthouse Mission. The two would “hand out peanut butter and jam sandwiches, experiences that helped shape his lifelong love for people who were hurting, struggling or simply needed someone to believe in them,” said Nash and Hill. While he was CEO, the centre assisted 9,000 clients, they added — an achievement that Moore hoped would inspire others. “I want to be remembered as someone who took the time to help those in need and inspire others to do the same,” Moore said at his retirement in 2023. The Calgary-born Moore first made his mark in real estate. After setting up his own real estate company here, he was invited to join Canada Trust, moved to Toronto and became president of its real estate division, responsible for 233 offices and 3,200 agents across the country. Then, 28 years ago he suffered a heart attack at a conference in Vancouver. He later returned to Calgary and became a consultant to the industry. Even as a businessman, he would walk the streets of Calgary to speak with those suffering from addictions, and help them. He became a board member at his church, First Assembly on Elbow Drive, and responding to Pastor Kenn Gill’s vision to better support men with addictions, he and other members visited a Dream Centre in Los Angeles and came back determined to set up a similar facility in Calgary. They selected the former Nite Hotel on Macleod Trail, well known as home to a basement strip club, and Moore’s contacts in the real estate industry helped procure the site. When it opened in 2003, the centre had three staff members and 12 clients — an agency that grew to 80 employees and 380 clients in multiple properties by the time he stepped down in 2023. Details on a memorial service for Moore will be released in the coming weeks, said the Dream Centre. Catch up with the day’s headlines, curated by our editors and delivered to your email inbox at lunchtime on every business day. Sign up now for the Calgary Herald Noon News Roundup.