View From the Legislature

This week, I was proud to recognize the contributions of Kleefeld’s own, Robb Nash, who was recently named as one of twelve upcoming recipients of the Order of Manitoba. The Order of Manitoba is the highest honour in the Province, and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated excellence and achievement in any field of endeavor benefiting in an outstanding manner the social, cultural or economic well-being of Manitoba and its residents. The Honourable Janice Filmon, Lieutenant Governor, will preside over the ceremony on July 12, 2018 at the Manitoba Legislative Building.

Robb founded the band Live on Arrival with fellow member Johnny Holliday. Live on Arrival’s purpose is to reach troubled youth through songs and presentations in schools and youth detention centers. Rob’s story is a remarkable one. At the age of seventeen, Robb was hit by a semi-trailer in a terrible head-on collision. The impact knocked him onto the highway, where he cracked his skull and he was pronounced dead. In hospital, his vitals returned but he remained unconscious for many months. He awoke, disoriented, with surgical steel bolts in his broken skull, no memory of the accident and very angry at his helplessness.

Now, 16 years later, Robb describes the event as ‘the wonderful opportunity of dying’ and he offers this advice to our youth: Don’t wait to get hit by a semi to start living with purpose. He subsequently found that his purpose was to help kids find theirs. Robb does this through the award-winning Robb Nash Project, which is a registered Canadian charity that engages young people through the power of music and storytelling to inspire hope and encourage positive life choices.

As a testament to Robb’s approach, a high school principal recently stated that “As staff, we have seen many presentations over the years that have brought excellent messages to our students about mental health, good decision making, suicide and resiliency. Without a doubt, the Robb Nash presentation is the very best of the best.”

Robb has participated in more than 750 performances in the last six years and has been involved with 1250 schools directly. He has reached over one million young people through story, song and picture. In addition to receiving the Order of Manitoba, Robb has also been awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Toronto Police Partnership Award, the Bell Kaleidoscope of Hope award, the Mood Disorders Association Helping Hand award and in 2016, Robb was named one of the Washington Post’s top 16 most inspiring people.

For me personally, his most important achievement is that over the past 5 years, he has successfully encouraged more than 800 students to relinquish their planned suicide notes to him, while hundreds more have stopped self-harming behavior.

There is no award that can truly recognize these life-saving actions, but I am sure that I speak for all Manitobans in congratulating Robb for his Order of Manitoba and thanking him for his dedication and commitment to our most vulnerable youth.