Grace, community action and a paintbrush.

“Cindy Payne-Frostad has a positive, contagious energy and a tenacious spirit that inspires. She has taught me that what brings you to your knees can empower you to overcome any obstacle.” [cited by a friend] Cindy’s life is anything but typical.

A resident of British Columbia, she is a wife and the mother of two daughters, the eldest having severe cerebral palsy and requiring full personal support. With a BFA and B.Ed she has taught school in three provinces and has had 25 years of media involvement in radio, television and print. To date, several unique experiences have marked her as a trailblazer.

When windsurfing was virtually unknown, Cindy became one of the first Canadian women to compete in a North American Championship. She was invited to the First International Team Racing competition in Sardinia, Italy and was a member of the Canadian Windsurfing Team for three years. “High school gave me a foundation of skills and insight into who I could become,” Cindy remarks. “Friends, family and some remarkable teachers supported and modelled creative and individual latitude, so I have always felt I could accomplish anything I set my mind to.”

During the 1990’s, a technologically advanced walking device was introduced to Canada. Cindy set out to make it available to over 100 children on a wait list in BC. She spearheaded the effort to obtain training for professionals, create a new model of service delivery and establish three clinics. She secured funding in excess of half a million dollars for the Star Walker Program which Variety Club of BC runs today. Cindy Frostad received the Volunteer Vancouver 2000 Award for Community Service in recognition of this initiative.

In an effort to keep an intense life in balance, Cindy jump-started an art career in 2002. She exhibited over 100 contemporary abstract paintings in an airplane hangar during an impressive 4-hour solo debut at Vancouver International Airport. Today, her works can be found in both corporate and private collections.

“Things I have learned that I would pass along to students: establish lifelong, meaningful personal values; replace blame and judgement with knowledge, understanding and acceptance; learn how to ask good questions; stay true to your core; attitude counts the most; and keep a sense of humour handy!”

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