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Making the most of life's opportunities

Claire Clark's courage and confidence make her a Woman of Vision

By Lesley Macdonald, edmontonjournal.com October 30, 2010 1:30

When she was just six years old, Claire Clark contracted tuberculosis and like so many aboriginal children in the 1940s and '50s, she was sent away from her home on the Bigstone Cree Nation reserve in Wabasha north of Slave Lake to a sanatorium in Edmonton.

For nearly three years, Claire rarely saw her parents because they couldn't afford to make the trip often, and when they did visit, they brought her colouring books because there were no books for children at the institution.

"It was a culture shock going into the hospital for so long and the fact that I didn't see my parents probably changed me as a person," says the petite, soft-spoken, articulate 64-year old. "It was a very lonely time."

Still not 100-per-cent well, Claire was finally able to leave the hospital and start school, going for half-days. But they were days filled with taunting and teasing from the other children. Claire was nine years old, in Grade 1 and a First Nations aboriginal in a French community.

There were problems at home as well. Her father turned to alcohol, so Claire chose not to have many friends because she couldn't bring them home. His job with the railroad meant the family moved around a lot, eventually ending up in Smith, 200 kilometres north of Edmonton. There are no pictures of the young Claire to be found in any family albums, because in her preteen years, her self-esteem was so low that she scratched her face out of all of them.

"When I was 12 or 13, I ran away from home. I had just had enough. But this nice old man picked me up and brought me back home," Claire says with a laugh. "After that, my mom talked to me and told me 'the only way you're going to get out of this is if you finish school.' "

Claire skipped grades 2 and 4, trying to catch up, and stayed at school after class so she could focus on her work. The eldest of six children, Claire left home at age 15 and moved to Westlock, living on her own, working at the hospital to support herself and going to school part time.

After graduating from high school, Claire got a job working at Alberta Government Telephones (AGT). For 15 of the 25 years she worked there, she was in management, running retail service phone centres.

"I found that if you get along in the workplace, you show ambition, they'll put you through these courses and keep moving you up. And that's what I did. Every opportunity I got to take a course, I took it. And moved on."

In 1985, Claire's career hit a snag when her boss basically told her that if she didn't improve her skills at meetings, "I was going to have to step down from my position."

That's when Claire found Toastmasters. She joined the Sundowners in Spruce Grove, and at the first meeting, she could barely say her name.

"Every Sunday night, I was sick to my stomach," says Claire. "And I could hardly do my work on Monday because I knew Monday night was Toastmasters. But I knew that after six weeks, you either break it or you start a habit. I started a habit, because I had to have this skill."

Claire's determination paid off. She was eventually awarded Distinguished Toastmaster, the highest level of achievement in the organization. And the skills she gained gave her the courage and confidence to do other things.

Claire left AGT at the age of 45 -- the only person in her family to go to university -- and went to the University of Alberta, where she got her bachelor of adult education. Then she formed her own consulting company, Claire Clark & Associates, designing, developing and teaching business and employment skill programs.

In 2003 Claire co-founded Alberta Women Professional Association (AWPA) because there were no programs or centres in the province for aboriginal women on a professional ladder or looking to start their own business. In 2008, the organization moved into a downtown Edmonton office and Claire became executive director, essentially running it on her own. She's now partnered with Alberta Women Entrepreneurs, offering among other things computer training and the Vision Speakers program at NorQuest College.

"It gives them more than just doing a presentation or speech," says Claire. "It also allows them to formalize how they're going to answer a question with an opening, body and conclusion. And these skills allow them to do a better job in their interview process."

Claire has done many other things as well. She founded the first Toastmasters Club for aboriginal people at the Canadian Native Friendship Centre and started three other speaker clubs as well.

She also had a radio program on CJSR called Ask an Auntie, offering insight from elders and members of the community. Claire is a founding member of the Edmonton Aboriginal Business and Professional Association, has been a member of the Aboriginal Working Strategy for the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce and vice-chair for the Edmonton Aboriginal Urban Affairs Committee. In March, she also co-ordinated Edmonton's first Aboriginal Job and Career Fair.

Claire also joined the Lions Club six years ago. She served as her club's first female president last year and was awarded a Melvin Jones Fellow for dedicated humanitarian services.

Now, she's ready for a break. Claire is leaving AWPA at the end of January, when she and her husband of 40 years plan to take a three-month sojourn to Australia. She is already lining up new opportunities for when she returns.

Lesley MacDonald is the producer and host of the Woman of Vision series. You can watch her television story about Claire Clark on the News Hour on Global TV at 6 p.m. this Monday or at globaltvedmonton.com.