A genuine smile makes a big difference when one walks into a store. At St. Jude’s Academy of the Arts, you might even be welcomed with a hug from one of the special needs clients helping at the gift shop that day.

TORONTO - At first, it was awkward. The Grade 10 students from St. Jean de Brebeuf Catholic High School weren’t really sure what to do, so they stuck to the perimeter of the room. The St. Jude’s special needs clients, however, weren’t as shy. They swayed their hips and pumped their fists to music that praised God.