Friendship centre loses friend

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Chris Armour spent 10 years praying for better days.

His prayers were answered when he met the Dean Severight, a homeless man living on the streets of Toronto.

Before the housed Armour met Severight, he often found himself walking out of places unwanted while seeking volunteer work or even friendship.

It was Severight who first brought him into the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto. He signed on as a volunteer and that's when a door and hearts finally opened up for him.

Armour, who logged more than 700 hours of volunteer work at the centre, died Feb. 14 at the Toronto Western Hospital. He left an impact that will never be forgotten. He was 32.

Armour died of rare form of multiple sclerosis that attacks the nervous system, and he had to take medication to subdue the brain swelling it caused.

"He suffered so much rejection during the last 10 years of his life," said his sister Jessica. "I will never forget how the Native centre opened their hearts up to Chris when he needed it the most."

"I used to pray and say, "God, please help my boy," added his mother Cheryl.

Armour worked his heart out while volunteering at the centre, often going above and beyond the call of duty.

"I am going to miss him very much," said a teary-eyed Lori Harris, the volunteer co-ordinator. "I couldn't do the work without his help."

It was at the Native Canadian Centre that Armour finally found happiness. He was going to be recognized as volunteer of the year at the annual general meeting slated for June.

He would often phone his family to tell them of his latest exploits and the new friends he had made at the centre.

Armour did every volunteer task from membership and intake programming to taking over the office for a three-week stretch.

Throughout his short life he was always seeking new adventures or inventing new ways to improve things.

In 1998, he ran for the office of provincial member of parliament for the Parti Quebecois in the Westmount-St. Louis riding of Montreal.

"He ran against the odds" and had no chance of winning, said his sister Alexis.

Like a true politician he canvassed door-to-door, talking to people and hugging and kissing babies. "It was a good experience for him," said Alexis.

"He wanted to make a point," said his mother. "He believed politicians tried to keep people separate."

He feared nothing as a youngster and once went skating downhill. "He never missed an opportunity to have fun," said Jessica.

"He went hurtling down a slippery hill at this death-defying speed, but emerged unhurt."

His illness didn't stop Armour from pursing an education-he enrolled in computer science at York University. He excelled in it and his professors would sometimes call him up to ask questions about computer software. He was so good at the technology that he landed a job in Paris, France. He also worked for Merrill Lynch in Toronto.

Armour was known to have a big heart and would give you the shirt off his back.

"He got so much pleasure out of helping people," said Jessica.

"The love and kindness the Native centre extended towards Chris was something he's never experienced before," said Jessica.

The family has asked that donations in Armour's memory be made to the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto's volunteer appreciation fund.