Our History
The Story of Thrive!
1975	19 year-old Rick Little begins to organize the Quest National Centre, later to become Quest International (QI) in Findlay, Ohio.
1983	Lions Clubs International (LCI) brings together experts in the field of drug abuse for an international symposium. Prevention and education are identified as the focus for the Lions Drug Awareness Program.
1984	LCI and QI partner to introduce a major program initiative-Lions Quest Skills for Adolescence. The new program was a comprehensive, educational approach to drug prevention for grades 6 through 8.
1987	Recognizing that drug prevention efforts must begin early, LCI and QI partner again to introduce Lions Quest Skills for Growing for kindergarten to grade 5.
1988	Quest Life Skills operating as Lions Quest Canada, is incorporated and the first full-time office is opened doing business as Lions Quest in Mount Forest, Ontario, under the leadership of Executive Director Bill Moody.
1990	The Lions Quest Canada office moves to Waterloo, Ontario.
1994	In response to requests from teachers, Lions Quest develops a unit that specifically addresses violence prevention and anger management. Lions Quest Working Toward Peace for grades 6 through 8 is released in Canada.
1995	LCI and QI partner again to introduce Lions Quest Skills for Action for teens and young adults. The concepts of service-learning and conflict management introduced in programs written for younger students are extended to the older age level. Working It Out is also introduced to meet the needs for a conflict management program for kindergarten through grade 6. 1995 also marks the year that Bill Moody retired and Joanne McQuiggan assumed the position of Executive Director.
1998	Lions Quest Canada introduces our first program component written completely in Canada, Healthy Bodies for grades 1 through 5. Written in complement the Skills for Growing program, Healthy Bodies focuses on health related topics including the senses, nutrition and personal safety.
1999	Quest Life Skills Incorporated becomes the Canadian partner of the International Youth Foundation.
2000	The first Canadian version of Skills for Action is released. And Quest Life Skills Incorporated creates its first resource. Volcano Club was developed by two mental health therapists in British Columbia. This resource is designed for use by child and youth workers with children identified as having anger management issues.
2001	The fourth edition of the Skills for Adolescence program is created.
2002	Lions Quest becomes the Canadian partner of the Search Institute to champion efforts to employ the Developmental Assets Framework through the distribution of Search Institute resources, delivering Search Institute-designed training workshops, providing Canadian input to resource and product development, and support to Canadians embracing the concept.
2003	Lions Quest Canada changes its name to Thrive! The Canadian Centre for Positive Youth Development. The new name more accurately reflects the activities we are involved with across the country and internationally. Changing our name sets the course for the future while maintaining the solid foundation we have built as Lions Quest Canada.