Episode #23 - The Ability to Dream

Respecting the Process Inc.

Sandy Dietrich-Bell has been the Chief Executive Officer of oneROOF since 2006 and has worked in the field of social services since 1999. Sandy is also a therapist specializing in trauma and abuse, a part-time faculty at Conestoga College, and a proud mother and grandmother.

"I have always been drawn to the field of social services because I really want to make a difference in this world. Having lived-experienced myself, I have always felt that I needed to be part of the solution regarding the issues of youth homelessness, abuse, and societal violence."

Her incredible insight on the human condition, especially applied to youth, provides a rare perspective into the lives homeless adolescents.

“To me, Respecting the Process means respecting the uniqueness of each person. You might not understand their process, you might not agree with it, but its theirs and if you’re truly here to assist them and to help them, than you walk with them on their journey. You don’t drag them onto your path. We need to start embracing people where they’re at and helping them walk their journey, to fulfill their purpose, instead of trying to instill ours on them. Letting them see that it is the small things. It is the every day experiences that you & I have had that make us who we are today. It’s not one big pivotal thing that happened last Tuesday that has defined you as a human being. It’s a culmination of everything you have experienced and if you start devaluing that, then you devalue your own process and that’s what we need to get around. We have to start reminding people that every experience has a purpose and all things happen for a reason. The result is what we make it.”

— Sandy Dietrich-Bell, oneROOF Chief Executive Director