Seventeen years ago, Daniel Caron’s life changed when he opened his home to the family of a customer.

As Caron explained it, he was visiting the customer when he found out that just before his arrival, officers from the customer’s bank had informed the family that they had lost their house.

“They had no idea what to do, nor did they know where they would live. It was obvious what I had to do and I immediately took them in,” he said.

“Six months later they were ready to go back on their own. Since then, different situations have arisen and we have taken in children that needed a home or just a hug and someone to call mom and dad,” Caron shared.

Over that time, he and his wife of 31 years Brenda have had as many as 15 foster children, as well as his own family, under his care.

That, though, is not surprising because Caron is from a large family in Canada where he was born and raised.

“I’m accustomed to lots of activity and people around. I grew up in a family with eight brothers and sisters, in a large home with lots of staff members who always helped with the family’s business,” he said.

This explains the warm, vibrant and dynamic personality Caron exhibits daily, especially at Nestlé Jamaica Limited where he serves as country manager.

Becoming a foster parent wasn’t something he had planned. Even though he has two biological daughters with his wife, it was a scenario that, he stated, was “presented to me and so I needed to act”.

“This has been a truly enriching experience for me and I think that everything happens for a reason and that is why we were at that place at that given time,” he said in reference to the customer he helped 15 years ago.

“I have been asked this question by one of my sons — ‘Why me?’ and I simply answered that he would need to ask God because I do not know.”

Having several children from varying backgrounds being united as one family isn’t something that seems very easy. However, Caron stated that the most challenging part was mealtimes because sometimes “it’s really hard to find something that everyone likes”. According to Caron, “Family life has been busy. However, everyone respects each other’s space and takes care of themselves. We have been very lucky that everyone gets along and there has not been any significant conflict, except around mealtimes,” he quipped.

When asked if he had any interesting stories to share about his experiences as a father, he said that there were no real interesting stories but instead many great memories.

He speaks very fondly of all his children and was very candid when questioned about his relationship with each one. “My children are all unique, beautiful and talented, and have so much to give. They all have their own unique stories. They have had life experiences at an early age, that most persons would never comprehend, that has shaped them into the wonderful persons they are today,” he shared.

Even though Caron is a family man, he is also a serious executive, spearheading Nestlé’s operations in several countries across the world. He has not, however, allowed that to interfere with the relationship with his family. According to him, “I cannot say that my career has been impacted. It has been difficult moving from country to country with legal paperwork and trying to conform with all immigration standards, especially when the documents are not always available or in English, but that always just makes the process a lot more meaningful.”

“It has not always been easy, but in order to create that balance between work and family I had to make time to connect. Earlier in my career it was much harder to connect and communicate with all of the travelling, but today, with technology, it is much easier. I am thankful that Skype and WhatsApp are just a click away.”

Asked to explain how he maintains balance between his job and family, Caron said: “My weekly routine has never really changed much. I have always remained focused on my professional life during the week. I try to complete all of my work during the day and do not take anything home. I leave my nights to have dinner with the family and the weekends are for family outings and doing things together.”

For people thinking about adopting children, Caron had a bit of advice. “I don’t even like the word adoption or fostering, as it makes it sound like they are different people, but they are no different. In my case they are all my children and I love them all and treat them all the same. But, for persons who might be considering that option, just do it; it will change your life. We are placed on this earth for just a short time, after we are gone, no one will ever remember what car we drove, the house we lived in, nor how much money we had in the bank. However, the difference that we make in the lives of others will be our legacy,” he said.

The experience, he said, has made him a better person. It allowed him to develop an open mind and engender relationships founded in respect and tolerance — tolerance of different cultures, experiences and behaviours which similarly help him to do his job a lot better working for a multinational such as Nestlé —where the company’s purpose and values, he emphasised, are “rooted in respect for ourselves; respect for others; respect for diversity; and, respect for the future”.