Despite studying to be a nurse, Bill Zheng wanted to help people on a larger scale, so he co-created RadiCare and the Pop-up Care Village, two organizations dedicated to helping at-risk individuals.
Growing up, Zheng wanted to be an airline transfer pilot, but that changed when his mother got sick.
“I decided to go into nursing because of my mom,” said Zheng.
When he was in Grade 11, instead of hanging out with friends, he was advocating for his mom, who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness that caused her to lose her mental capacity.
Zheng became her primary co-ordinator, legal conservator and translator, since she did not speak English.
Surrounded by so many nurses, he realized they were on the front lines when it came to interacting with patients and providing patient care.
“I…remember my palliative care nurse for my mom was really helpful in terms of guiding some very hard decisions,” Zheng said.
Because of his experience with his mother’s care team and his close relationship with the healthcare system, he chose to pursue nursing.
Though unsure where exactly he might land, Zheng is adamant that helping people will be a core part of his career journey.
Katie Wong, a registered nurse, friend and mentor to Zheng, describes him as a hardworking innovator.
“He doesn’t let his age or experience kind of stand in the way of him trying to make a difference in people’s lives, which I appreciate about him,” she said.
Zheng chooses action over bystander
While studying to become a nurse, Zheng also worked closely with the homeless community as a casual staff member at the Drop-In Centre in Calgary. The Centre gave him a different view of the homeless community and the institutions that help them.
“He doesn’t let his age or experience kind of stand in the way of him trying to make a difference in people’s lives, which I appreciate about him,”
Katie wong, Registered nurse & mentor to Zheng
While there, Zheng brainstormed how he could help more than he was, that is how RadiCare was born. Zheng and his business partner, Kristen Campbell, co-created RadiCare with a vision to help those who are unhoused and vulnerable in Calgary, while also cleaning up Calgary’s streets.
“RadiCare Ventures is a social enterprise that hires people who have to climb barriers, and we work in the intersection between cleaning and social disorder,” said Zheng, “So we are a specialized cleaning company that works where most traditional clean companies have difficulties in.”
Katie Thies, who is now a friend of Zheng’s, runs BLOX BIA, an organization dedicated to enhancing and promoting Calgary by supporting local businesses, public art, and creativity. Thanks to Thies and BLOX BIA, Radicare became the enterprise it is today.
“Bill was looking to host an event and he needed space for it for one of the charity style events that he does throughout the year,” said Thies. “I had space that’s affordable because we’re a nonprofit.”
Thies and Zheng began talking about his ideas and what he wanted to create, and that was RadiCare.
Thies says she’s impressed by Zheng.
“Especially for someone so young, he’s like one of these people,” she said. “And he just kind of has his hand in every single pot, and he’s incredibly smart … I value his opinion very highly.”
Zheng hopes that in the next five years RadiCare will be used all over Calgary and moving onto other urban cities in Canada.
A community event that’s for Calgary’s overlooked
With RadiCare’s profits, Zheng is able to host an annual festival called the “Calgary Pop-Up Village, “ which is designed to help people with systemic vulnerabilities.
The festival attracts people experiencing homelessness, newcomers to Calgary, and people who might not be able to afford other community festivals in the city.
Zheng brings in more than 50 organizations, from hairdressers and massage therapists to those who can help acquire low-income bus passes and housing applications.
Zheng’s goal is to give these people access to everything they need in one place, and it is 100 percent free.
“And the aim is to make this festival as big eventually, as the Lilac Festival, or the Stampede.”
Resources
- Find more information on RadiCare here
- Find more information on the Calgary Pop-Up
- Find more information on the Calgary Drop-In Centre here
- Find more information on BLOX BIA here