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Did you ever take a moment to wonder how you got to be where you are in life?

Everyone makes thousands of choices, some of which are inconsequential, and others which direct us on a path that defines our life.

In today's paper, we read about one boy's choices which he believes have already had a profound impact on his future.

Sixteen-year-old Colton Kroon was on a path he readily identifies as the wrong one.

"School wasn't working out for me, and I was getting myself into a lot of trouble and going down a path that probably wasn't good," Colton said.

But Colton got off that troubled path and onto a better road in life through a program at the YMCA called Strong Kids.

He is one of 1,500 kids and families in the program that gets them off the streets and into productive pursuits like sports, healthy eating, fitness and life skills, not to mention the added benefits of friendship, acceptance and a safe and positive place to hang out.

Colton's story is amazing for two reasons: he made positive changes in his life that have led him, at the young age of 16, to see what might have been had he remained on the path he was on. He believes he would be in jail by now without the Strong Kids program. He is a wise 16-year-old.

The other factor in Colton's amazing story is that he was able to change his path because of the 600 generous community members who fund the Strong Kids program.

This week, the YMCA held a luncheon to celebrate the success of the program and recognize those generous people who have selflessly invested in the children of this community. Imagine if they hadn't.

Imagine if they all decided their money was better off in the bank or in funding a trip or a new TV. Colton's prediction might have come true: he might be in jail.

How much does that destination cost society in police services, property damage, court services, incarceration, probation supervision and so on?

Instead, a simple donation, a viable program and a community agency willing to deliver it prevented Colton from staying on that destructive path. What an awesome payoff for an investment in kids.

This week, we also read of a very different path that some have taken. Thursday night at the Fredericton Community Kitchen, people gathered, candles in hand, for the annual service to remember the homeless who have died.

There were 58 candles, although organizers believe there are hundreds or even thousands more whose end has been the same but whose stories are unknown.

Each name was called, and volunteers, social workers, advocates for the poor and even former homeless people remembered the men and woman connected to this city who had died in a state of homelessness.

This service is always touching and sad, and we mourn for what might have been for these 58 people. What troubles, what situations led to their status as homeless, what series of choices and circumstances resulted in their names being read at a memorial service for the homeless?

But we can do more than just remember. We can act. We can support a program like Strong Kids, because that is what our society and our city need: strong kids who have support from their community, who have opportunities to learn and grow as people, who have hope for a future that is productive and happy.

We are encouraged by this program and we want to honour the supporters and the YMCA who make this program a reality.

We also want to congratulate and encourage the children like Colton who have sought a better path and taken the hand that was extended to them.