2005 YMCA Peace Medallion Recipient

The time is always right for peace.

Intelligent, committed and thoughtful are the words that people who know John Lomax well would use to describe him.

Originally from Bolton (England), John and his family emigrated to Canada in 1957. A retired CIBC manager, he now consults for private business. He and his wife Marilyn have raised three children and have called Brampton home.

Busy for someone considered "retired", John's true passion is, simply stated, to make his community better through promoting peace.

John has been instrumental in helping St. Leonard's House, originally a halfway house for former inmates, transform into a "transition point" for not only former inmates, but also for the homeless in our community. As John puts it, St. Leonard's is a place where these men can make a commitment to change, In order to accomplish this, John committed to convincing the surrounding community that this would make the community safer by providing those with challenges an opportunity to take part in anger management, Substance Abuse and skills development programs offered at St. Leonard's. In addition, John also spearheaded an effort to nearly double the number of accommodations available, therefore reaching out to even more in need.

Through the Rotary Club of Brampton, John also manages the Rotary Youth Exchange Program. Every year, 3 very fortunate youth are selected for this international exchange program and are given the means to travel to far away places to learn other cultures, traditions and meet others who have similar interests. John's role has been to promote the program, recruit applicants and ultimately select to participating youth. He also recruits families suitable to billet the exchange youth from other countries during their visit to Brampton. Through this program, John's vision of recognizing potential leaders in order to sustain the message of peace is championed.

Your 2005 Brampton YMCA Peace Medallion Recipient

Mr. John Lomax.