“Dear Val,
I was completely overwhelmed yesterday when I received your beautiful gift in the mail … It made my day to receive something so wonderful from a complete stranger  …”

If you don’t believe in angels, you might want to drop by to meet Val Willis. It’s at a sunny apartment off Island Park Drive where you’ll find the lively 86-year-old composing notes of congratulations and encouragement to strangers. These she will place in large envelopes, along with a copy of a book that means the world to her.

She will entrust this precious cargo to Canada Post, which will deliver the parcels to the homes of students and boy scouts, teachers and police officers, firefighters cited for bravery and housewives building schools in Africa. They will also find their way into the hands of famous authors, ambassadors and even royalty. After all, this is no time to be timid; Mrs. Willis is on a mission.

In opening the gifts, these strangers will be keeping alive the spirit of a young woman whose love of horses is now helping find a cure for cancer. But just as important, Mrs. Willis hopes her gifts will inspire the recipients to fulfil their own dreams, just as her daughter did when she opened Willaway Farm, a riding stable in Almonte, in 1998.

“I’m interested in having people enjoy the book,” Mrs. Willis says of My Horse, My Passion, the illustrated riding tips guide published in 2004, almost 40 years after it was penned by her daughter, Kenra, then an 11-year-old, in a school scribbler. “Reading inspires dreams.”

When this newspaper last caught up with Mrs. Willis in September 2004, she had sold the first 1,000 books printed a few months earlier in memory of Kenra, who died of cancer in 2003 at age 49. Since then, with the sale of books from a second printing, Mrs. Willis has helped raise just shy of $10,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society.

The former teacher has a framed certificate of appreciation from the cancer society on her wall, along with letters from the Queen and Princess Anne, both accomplished horse riders, congratulating her on her “labour of love.”

Now, with about 50 books left, Mrs. Willis is out to “have fun” with it. That involves countless hours spent scouring newspapers for stories of “people helping people,” or anyone the one-time owner and operator of Wilvaken, a private educational centre in Quebec, feels would benefit from Kenra’s book.

For a woman “of a certain age,” as one stranger wrote in a thank-you note, Mrs. Willis has more energy than most university students.  She doesn’t just walk to answer the phone or retrieve a file folder from the office — she runs. But then, she also cross-country skis and, soon, you’ll find her on the greens at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club. You’ll also find her each week at the National Gallery of Canada, where, in her 20th year as a docent, she gives tours to school groups and the public.

Almost as a footnote, Mrs. Willis mentions how she was forced to slow down for a spell in March 2005, when she had a heart attack after a day of skiing. “I had a double bypass,” she says matter-of-factly. “I’m a happy survivor.”

Indeed. Her enthusiasm is catchy. Even her dog, Tori, seems to be smiling.

“I’m having a ball,” Mrs. Willis beams. “Because I never know what to expect. Every day is a surprise day, which makes it fun.”

Her letters to strangers have turned into stacks and stacks of thank-yous, from handwritten notes and cards to e-mails and lovingly drawn pictures of horses from young fans. There are notes from retired general Lewis MacKenzie, then-U.S. ambassador Paul Cellucci, author Frances Itani, Canadian spelling bee winner Finola Hackett, Order of Canada recipient Grete Hale, Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean, Laureen Harper, wife of the prime minister,  and dozens of teachers, principals and schoolchildren whose efforts are detailed in the Citizen’s monthly Raise-a-Reader feature.

Many of those “strangers” are now friends, sending Christmas cards and regular e-mails, issuing invites to visit and enjoying lunch with Mrs. Willis at her golf club.

And while it’s not everyone who can boast letters from the Royal Family, it’s a note from a Montreal teenager that Mrs. Willis most treasures.

“My aunt just purchased this book called My Horse, My Passion for my 17th birthday … I started horseback riding at about age eight and recently lost interest in it because of a terrible tragedy that befell upon our family. In 2001, my mother passed away from cancer at age 52.

“… Kenra’s book has inspired me to continue my love affair with horses. In fact, I am planning to contact Wilvaken this afternoon in regards to a summer job in the stables.

“I just wanted to share the effect your daughter’s story has had on me and how she inspired me to pursue my passion …”

Note to Mrs. Willis: Keep up the good work. You’re an angel.

Published in The Ottawa Citizen on March 28, 2007
www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/

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NOTE: Since I interviewed Val, we have become friends.  I was lucky enough to help celebrate her 87th birthday with her and her new “family” — the folks who bought Kenra’s farm — where I witnessed the birthday girl saddling up for a horse ride!  Below you will find a copy of Val’s inspiring New Year’s message sent to friends in January 2008.

Here are 12 reasons why 2007 has been exceptionally happy for me because I am :

1. Continuing to give tours at our magnificent National Gallery (20 years).
2. Distributing the THIRD 1000 copies of My Horse, My Passion, written by Kenra at age 11.
3. Being deluged with e-mails and letters describing My Horse, My Passion, as "Beautiful".
4. Making delightful new friends through distribution of My Horse, My Passion.
5. Working at a permanent memorial to Kenra at the Almonte Hospital where she spent the last two months of her life after the Cancer Society received $10,000 from the unique book.
6. Learning that the precious little book has cantered to England, France, Holland, China, etc.
7. Holding a Driver's Licence at age 87 after 2 successful eye operations in September '07.
8. Broadening my horizons with a sometimes disheartening Dell computer.
9. Enjoying golf, X-C skiing, bridge and friendships at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club.
10. Loving the freshness of early morning walks with my 13 yr. old 4-legged friend, Tori.
11. Celebrating birthdays at what was Kenra's Dream-of-a-Lifetime Willaway Farm in Almonte. (New owner, Susan Allan, assisted me in mounting a horse on Sept. 30th, the big 87th!)
12. Relishing the fortnightly gourmet dinners at the lovely Ottawa home of Susan's family, the Mullingtons, all of whom have greatly added to my happiness during the past five years.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! HAPPY NEW YEAR!