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The theme of A Day of Inspiration is that living a great life is an inherent right. Speakers are asked to discuss how living a life based on their innate talents and strengths is the easiest and most fulfilling way to live a great life. Speakers are asked to discuss how they discovered their innate strengths at a young age and how they rose to the top of their field by focusing on those strengths.
Key Message: Living a great life is your inherent right
Approach: Humor, honesty, inspiration, positivism and a call to action
Objective: To see Aboriginal People living a prosperous and abundant life filled with peace, joy, love and empowerment.
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 In 1999, he received the Aboriginal Business Leader Award from All Nations Trust and Development Corporation.
- In 2000, the Advancement of Native Development Officers (CANDO) named Chief Louie the "Economic Developer of the Year".
- In the same year, Clarence was chosen to join the Governor General of Canada in the 2000 leadership tour.
- In 2001, Chief Louie was appointed to the Aboriginal Business Canada Board and most recently was appointed Chairperson of this Board.
- In 2002, Aboriginal Tourism B.C. awarded Chief Louie the "Inspirational Leadership Award".
- MacLean’s Magazine listed Chief Clarence Louie as one of the "Top 50 Canadians to Watch" in their January 2003 issue.
- More recognition came in 2003 as the U.S. Department of State selected Clarence as 1 of 6 First Nation representatives to participate in a 2-week tour of successful American Indian tribes.
- In April 2004, the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation presented Clarence with the award for "Business and Community Development". The National Aboriginal Achievement Awards represent the highest honor the Aboriginal Community bestows upon its own achievers.
- In June 2006, Chief Louie was presented with the Order of British Columbia, which is the province’s highest honor for outstanding achievement.
 John Kim Bell is Mohawk from the Kahnawake reservation in Quebec. He started his career conducting major Broadway musical productions in New York working with notables including Sonny Bono, Bernadette Peters, Gene Kelly, and Vincent Price. He traveled as a conductor for the Bee Gees and Redd Foxx, among others. He is also attributed with starting the career of Shania Twain having presented her in her first concert events and productions in Toronto.
After a career on Broadway, Mr. Bell became the first ever Aboriginal symphony conductor when he was appointed to the Toronto Symphony in 1980. In addition to guest appearances with many orchestras in Canada, U.S. and the Royal Philharmonic in London, U.K., Mr. Bell has composed the music for several movies including Divided Loyalties for CTV and the Trial of Standing Bear for PBS in the U.S., and the first ever CBC Aboriginal dramatic television series, The Four Directions. In 1988, Mr. Bell produced, directed, and co-composed In the Land of Spirits, a $1 million Aboriginal dance production which toured Canada in 1992.
Mr. Bell is best known for the establishment of the Canadian Native Arts Foundation which became the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation (NAAF). Over a period of twenty years, Mr. Bell built the Foundation into Canada’s largest Aboriginal charity and is attributed with building unprecedented corporate support for an Aboriginal cause. In addition to awarding over $16 million in post-secondary education scholarships during Mr. Bell’s twenty-year tenure as the CEO, he also founded and produced the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards, a $3.5 million annual television special.
In 1996, he established Blueprint for the Future, an annual career fair held across Canada where 1600 to 2000 Aboriginal high school students would enjoy presentations from leading Canadian corporations on career development opportunities.
In 1992, Mr. Bell also mounted Beyond Survival, an international indigenous cultural conference of over 400 participants from 12 countries including Lapland, the Soviet Union, Ecuador, Brazil, Mexico, the U.S., Japan, Guatemala, Colombia, Argentina, Nicaragua, and El Salvador.Among his numerous awards are the Order of Canada, Order of Ontario, and Royal Bank Award for Canadian Achievement and five Honorary Doctorates. In 2003, he was awarded the Keith Kelly Award as the sole national recipient for cultural leadership from the Canadian Conference of the Arts. Mr. Bell was recently appointed one of five Canadians to serve as special advisors to His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales. Please visit johnkimbell.com for more info.
 Elaine is Anishinabe/Cayuga, from Six Nations on the Grand River Territory, Ontario. Working full-time in the Aboriginal performing arts scene for 21 years as a Producer, General Manager, Publicist, Promoter, etc., Elaine has worked on many projects in film, video, television, radio, music, dance and theatre, and has now entered the world of television production, with her show “Rez Bluez”. Elaine is an example of someone living her best life by focusing on her innate talents and strengths. She will share her message of encouragement and inspiration to all who attend A Day of Inspiration.
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 Kimmie Weeks has worked to alleviate poverty and suffering in Africa and around the world since he experienced the aftermath of the Liberian civil war. At the young age of nine, after nearly being buried alive following disease, hunger and suffering, Weeks pledged to spend his life helping children. Before his fourteenth birthday, Weeks' work had helped to disarm 20,000 child soldiers, for which the Liberian government attempted to assassinate him. As a result, Weeks was forced to flee to the United States.
Now a graduate of Amherst College, Weeks leads Youth Action International, a nonprofit dedicated to rebuild communities through schools, playgrounds, and business opportunities for women and children in war-torn African countries. He also travels the world speaking in favor of world youth activism. Weeks has been featured in The New York Times, the BBC, TIME For Kids, The Washington Post, and many other media. He was also profiled along with the likes of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. as an international peacemaker in the book Peace in Our Lifetime
 Jordan, 27, is currently completing his Bachelor of Arts degree in Aboriginal Self-Governance at the University of Winnipeg. He is a youth advocate for Aboriginal issues on self-governance, restorative justice and Aboriginal rights. He was also elected twice as president of the Aboriginal Student Council. Originally from Brandon, Manitoba, Jordan is passionate about learning the Michif language and encourages others to share his passion. He is a talented actor, who has also worked behind the scenes on films sets. His interests in film and acting have turned him into a skilled public speaker. His message to youth is: “Sometimes giving up sounds nice and there will always be people who criticize the good you do. Be true to yourself, believe in your song, and in me you will always have a Métis brother to help break down barriers.”
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