Kindness Kounts in Norfolk County

Dondie Deming is the Facebook administrator for Kindness Kounts Norfolk County.

Chris Abbott

Editor

Some people in Norfolk County know him as Don.

Dondie Deming is the administrator for Kindness Kounts Norfolk County, with nearly 5,000 Facebook members.

“Dondie… nobody’s heard of the name,” said Deming, who was named after an Italian orphan from the 1961 movie Dondi, although Dondie has Scottish origins. “It was an orphanage boy in a movie on television in the 70s. And go figure, I grew up in Children’s Aid.

“I spent a lot of my life in Hamilton and I went by Don. But Dondie, it’s like giving my fingerprint because nobody’s got that name. Here in Norfolk County, everybody calls me Dondie.”

Now living in Delhi, Deming is proud of the Kindness Kounts Norfolk County page.

“What it is… it’s people helping people. Because I was homeless. I am an ex-addict. Kindness Kounts, it’s just people giving stuff… people asking for help. Every winter I ask for clothing and I give it to the homeless.”

Deming admits he has had a turbulent life – and feels he’s turned it around.

“I wanted to change my story. And that (Kindness Kounts) changed my story… it helped change my story. I’ll put it in different terms. When I was living in Hamilton, if I was to die, in three months nobody would even know I died. If I died tomorrow, a lot of people would miss me,” said Deming as carollers sang Deck the Hall in the background during Church Out Serving’s Community Christmas Day Dinner at Riversyde 83 in Simcoe. “I am not a nobody and I’ve got a heart of gold. I love helping people.

“I wasn’t always like that. I used to own a business in Hamilton, I had money. All that stuff, I lost it, it killed me and life was hard. I became an addict because I hated my life. But once I realized, that ‘stuff’ I can’t take with me when I die. That ‘stuff’ doesn’t make me who I am. What I do to help people… people love me. People like me, people respect me. That is what I am going to leave behind when I leave this world. And that is worth so much more than anything I’ve ever owned.”

‘Tis the season to be jolly,’ they continued to sing.

“I am a different person, I no longer live for ‘me.’ I am on this earth for other people. I am not on earth for me. As soon as I got that in my head, I became content. And I love it. I love helping people.”

Deming, who admits “it’s an every-day battle,” is now in his third year as Kindness Kounts Norfolk County FB administrator.

“It keeps me very busy and a lot of people know me. I live in Delhi, but I am in Simcoe every day. I love Simcoe. There’s a lot of love in Norfolk County.”

‘Fast away the old year passes,’ they sang.

“The Church Out Serving group, Eric (Haverkamp), Virginia (Lucas), it’s extremely important,” said Deming. “This, what they are doing today, on Christmas Day. Today I am happy. Christmas is a very difficult time for me, as it is for a lot of people. For about the last five years, I’ve spent Christmas alone. Because of this, here, I’m not alone. I am with a lot of amazing people. And this wouldn’t happen if it wasn’t for Eric and Virginia. They have touched a lot of people’s lives.

“This is very important, and not just this,” said Deming, noting the importance of the Pay as You Can program at Riversyde 83. “It is unreal how good it is. So it’s not just Christmas. (Church Out Serving) does so much.”

Going forward, the 53-year-old Deming desperately wants a part-time job. And he would love to get into Indwell - a supportive housing project in Simcoe.

“Yes, that would be huge! I would love that. Living in Delhi, it’s very difficult to do my Kindness Kounts. I need to get into Simcoe… so I would love to get into Indwell. I have a great support group and I have an amazing doctor…

“I want my Kindness Kounts to flourish. I want it to do something like this,” he said, looking around the festive and joyful Riversyde 83 rooms. “In the summer, I would like to start handing out lunch bags with food to the homeless. I want Kindness Kounts Norfolk County to be something more… that’s kind of my future goal.”