CAPS Book Review (The Push for Change by Joe Roberts)

About the Book:

This book was written by Joe Roberts, who is the only person to ever push a shopping cart across the second largest nation on earth for a total of 9064 kilometers. He started this cross-Canada journey in 2016 to raise both awareness and financial donations for a variety of causes related to homelessness.

Why I read the Push For Change:

Joe Roberts is also known as the Skid Row CEO. In the late 1980’s Joe was living on the Downtown East Side and sleeping under a bridge known as the Georgia Viaduct in Vancouver, British Columbia (One of North America’s most impoverished areas). Step by step he was able to fully turn his life around and eventually he became both a CEO and a highly sought-after Keynote Speaker.

I have had the privilege to hear Joe Roberts deliver presentations on two separate occasions. After I hear an engaging speaker, I usually try and purchase their book right after the event. I have purchased one of Joe’s earlier books and most recently purchased his newest book, called The Push for Change.

?Both times I heard Joe speak, the audience seemed to hang on his every word. I think many of us are captivated by authenticity. We want to hear something real, something raw, and something that contains all the vicissitudes of life. Joe Roberts captures all these elements in his powerful presentations.

One story that Joe shared was about how he sold his boots when he was living on the Downtown East Side. He was homeless and addicted to numerous drugs and he sold his last pair of boots for drugs. The boots were his only remaining valuable. He vividly described the cold that radiated up his body from his bare feet. It is a story that I have never forgotten, as it sent visceral chills up the spine. Weekly I drive under the Georgia Viaduct; a place where Joe once lived. Now, I do not think I have driven under the Viaduct once without recalling the story about Joe's bare feet in the Vancouver winter.

The Push for Change:

The Push for Change certainly had all the most important components of Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey. ?Joe seemed to meet the right people at critical junctures in his life.?He conveys their impact on him and how these individuals continue to influence him today. We are shown that with positivity and vision, we have the power to change someone’s life, even within a short interaction.?

Gus: Joe met a gentleman named Gus when he was living on the Downtown East Side in the 1980’s. When Joe was down and out, Gus was nice enough to provide Joe with a few dollars. During that same interaction Gus provided him with something much more important, which were some words of wisdom. Gus told Joe that “There is so much more to you than you can see.” At a time when Joe was unable to see or realize his own potential these words were very insightful. ?As Joe mentions in retrospect: “Our potential never goes away but the narrative to access it can.” Years later after Joe had turned his life around, it is clear that he takes a similar approach toward homeless youth that Gus took with him on that day.

Scott MacLeod Ontario Police Officer: After Joe had finally escaped some of the numerous hardships and heartaches of the Downtown East Side and was living back in Ontario, he was going through another difficult period in his life. During that time, he had an interaction with the Ontario Police at his home. Due to the quick wits and compassionate heart of one of the officers on the scene, Joe is still alive and able to tell his story. (I don’t want to describe this too much, as it was one of my favorite parts in the book. I will leave this as a “cliff-hanger”.)

Marie: (Fast Forward 30 years) Marie was Joe’s high school sweetheart who he reconnected with after nearly 30 years. In his book Joe mentions that, if he did not circumstantially reconnect with her the “Push for Change” campaign never would have happened. Marie planned literally hundreds of events across the country and many of these 5-Star events were planned from an RV, as Joe was walking across our great nation. Anybody who has ever planned even a mid-sized event knows that even one event can be a ton of work.

Contributions - In the end Joe’s “Push for Change” campaign raised millions of dollars. It influenced all levels of government including federal, provincial and various municipal governments. There were many people who were instrumental in making the campaign a success. However, maybe more importantly, ?the people who it probably helped the most are the unseen and unknown people whom will never end up on the streets. I suppose both Joe and the reader will never truly know how many lives his work has impacted and even saved.?

Thank you for reading.

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https://www.thepushforchange.com/

https://skidrowceo.com/

Joe Roberts ?? Skidrow to CEO

Marie Marcoux-Roberts

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PS- I am planning to write monthly book reviews for CAPS members, and people affiliated with CAPS throughout 2023. (Canadian Association of Professional Speakers)