Frank O’Dea is a Canadian entrepreneur, humanitarian, author, and public speaker. O’Dea’s adolescence and young adulthood were filled with many hardships, being homeless and having to panhandle until he was able to live in 50-cent-a-night flop houses in Toronto’s bowery district where simply surviving was a challenge. After many years of struggling, and an abundant amount of hope and perseverance, O’Dea was able to overcome the impediments in his life, and, in 1975, he co-founded The Second Cup, which soon became the largest chain of gourmet coffees and teas in Canada. Building on that success, he went on to co-found Proshred Security, a company that pioneered the entire industry of on-site document destruction. The company soon became an international organization with franchised operations in Canada, Europe and the United States.
Even at the beginning of his rising success, O’Dea took steps to give back to his community, by serving on the boards of directors of charities and not-for-profit organizations. In 1985, he co-founded Street Kids International, an organization developed to help homeless children in third world countries, through education and self-reliance programs. A few years later, he became the founding Chair of War Child Canada, an organization that provides assistance against suffering and abuse of children in war affected countries. Then O’Dea co-founded the Canadian Landmine Foundation, an organization that raises funds for the dismantling of minefields around the world. He initiated that organization’s most successful fund raising program, “Night of a Thousand Dinners,” with participants from 29 countries, raising millions of dollars. Currently, O’Dea is the Chair of the Royal Roads University Foundation and serves on the board of directors of a number of private and not-for-profit organizations.
We honor Frank O’Dea because his humanitarian work makes him a Legacy Champ. If you want to be a Legacy Champ in your own special way, then contact The Mendel Law Firm, L.P. for a free initial consultation on estate planning, trust planning, and/or probate issues.
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