Eva, like so many other small business owners in Valley East, contributes a tremendous amount of money each year to teams, individuals and organizations who come to her for financial assistance. She supports minor soccer, adult mixed slo-pitch, hockey, curling, the Valley East Waves, Miss Valley East and Miss Capreol, the K. of C. Fair, and numerous other ventures from Church teas to fish hatcheries.

"I think it is up to the businesses to give a bit back to the community by sponsoring sports teams and other recreational events," Eva observed. "By doing this we can help build character into the community and maintain our identity."

Eva Lanctot, who goes out of her way to support the children of the area, lives by the motto, "What you give is what you get!"

Lanctot Realty Ltd. is part of a large contingent of local businesses which can be counted on each year to make financial contributions which enable people and organizations to enhance the quality of life of residents of Valley East. These businesses are the backbone of the community. Their owners live in our neighbourhoods, sit on School Councils with us, coach our kids, and give us jobs. They do their best to provide us with goods and services which meet our needs and which are also at the best price they can possibly find.

People who live in Valley East should look very carefully at Eva Lanctot’s motto.

"What you give is what you get", not only applies to the businesses in the community, but also to the residents. Small business depends on the support of local residents. In order to survive they need to sell enough goods and services to make their business viable. Without the sponsorship money provided by small business, parents would be required to pay a great deal more to have their sons and daughters play hockey, soccer, ringette, and all of the other activities in which they are involved. Yet, imagine how the owners feel when they see these very same people who are benefiting from their sponsorship money purchase goods and services from businesses outside the community.

At the present time, there are organizations in Valley East which receive huge amounts of sponsorship money from local businesses and then order all or some of their supplies from a business in another city. Past experience has shown that virtually every outside price can be competitively matched by a local business. Even if the price is a bit higher to purchase locally, one must remember that when you collect thousands of dollars in sponsorship money from Valley East businesses, you have an obligation to use that money to stimulate the local economy. Every dollar you spend at a local business generates up to $5 of economic spin-off benefit. Every dollar you spend outside of the community, therefore, results in a loss of $5 to the economy. Local businesses will soon fail and be forced to close up if this trend continues very long. Then people will be forced to pay more for their activities due to a loss of sponsorship money. It is nothing less than a vicious circle. As businesses close up, jobs are lost, community sponsorship money dries up, people move out of the area, our children lose out on opportunities, and the list goes on and on. Once you get caught in the circle, it is very difficult to get out. This is why the City of Greater Sudbury is experiencing record high unemployment rates as well as a significant drop in population.

For business owners like Eva Lanctot, to sponsor or not to sponsor is a question which will be around as long as there are businesses. The answer may be determined by a lack of resources and/or a lack of small businesses unless everyone in the community works together in a spirit of co-operation.