KADRE GRAY
Kadre Gray, born and raised in Toronto, ONT. He grew up in Toronto before moving to Sudbury to pursue his undergraduate education. During his time in Toronto he grew up in a priority neighbourhood that was destroyed shortly after his departure. He recognized his own privilege while seeing how much support his community wasn’t receiving.
A lot of Kadre’s spare time was spent at the few community centres nearby as a volunteer to be engaged in positivity and be out of trouble. At 13 years old he began volunteering at the Wednesday night program at Forest Manor Church and never looked back. He then years later also volunteered at Yonge Street Mission as a gym coordinator. Trying to use basketball as a tool to teach kids valuable life lessons and also help them achieve high academic standings. Kadre has always enjoyed working with kids who are always capable of much more than what they think. That love, and passion is driven by the environment that raised me. I didn’t grow up in the best area but there were many good people who instilled confidence in me to become whatever I wanted to be.
Kadre currently resides in Sudbury, recently completing his undergraduate in Health Promotion. While graduating cum laude was no easy journey for Kadre he feels Health Promotion was always just about an interest in learning about the community that we live in. How to make it better? How to manage it? What areas need help? Especially as a black male himself. What things can we and I do better because I know a lot of people who have suffered due to limited support. But he believes equity must be what we strive for. “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” – Harriet Tubman.