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VALLEY
EAST
A
PLACE
TO GROW
There is absolutely no question that the community of
Valley East
is in the middle of a tremendous growth period. We see new subdivisions
and homes being developed all over the place, but the real indicators are
that new schools and new businesses are being built in the community –
true signs that we are on the verge of a population explosion like
we’ve never experienced before.
It is now time to give
Valley East
an identity that will clearly demonstrate what our true nature is all
about! When someone asks you to describe the community of
Valley East
, you want to be able to give them a short, quick answer that says it all
and you need a simple but effective and identifiable logo that will be
recognized as
Valley East
’s own.
A number of years ago The City of
Toronto
unveiled its branding campaign – Toronto Unlimited! The
goal was to create a single
Toronto
brand and to develop a fresh new way of communicating the city’s strong
and dynamic identity to the rest of the world. The signature line Toronto
Unlimited, is meant to celebrate the unlimited potential of the people and
the endless opportunities they offer in the city.
We too need a starting point! So I am offering the suggestion above
as the brand we should adopt for
Valley East
. VALLEY EAST –
A PLACE
TO GROW says it all. Growth implies progress and development, not only in
a personal sense, but also with respect to business, community spirit,
empowerment of our youth, etc. People are always saying that Valley East
is a great place to raise a family; a great place to start a business; a
great place for finding satisfaction in recreational, cultural or sports
fields; in other words, it is a great place to grow and develop,
regardless of your personal preferences or goals. Growth also means
progress. If you are looking to improve yourself spiritually,
intellectually, psychologically, socially, culturally, physically – or
in any other way you can think of, Valley East will offer you that
opportunity to achieve your goals and dreams.
We need something that says it all, and as a resident of
this community since 1974,
I would certainly feel comfortable telling
everyone that I live in
Valley East - A Place To Grow!
rkirwan@infocomcanada.com |
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THE OFFICIAL FLAG OF VALLEY EAST
When the official flag of the Town of Valley East
was created by the Public Affairs office of the Regional
Municipality of Sudbury, it was designed to demonstrate the
natural beauties of the community. It was proudly flown at all
public buildings and during special events.
The white off-set 'V' separates the
Town's official colours: blue on top depicting sky and water, and
green below depicting the lush vegetation of the region. The 'V'
obviously stands for Valley East and the white represents the
Northern Snow. It is a simple design, which makes it all the more
majestic. |
PEACE -
PLENTY - PROGRESS |
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OUR OFFICIAL CREST
The official crest of the Town of Valley East was
included on the flag. It consists of a shield between two banners
with the name of the town on the top banner and our motto - Peace,
Plenty, Progress on the bottom banner. All wording is in both
English and French, reflecting the bilingual nature of the
community.
The shield of the crest is divided into
five sections. In the top left segment is a black plow on a green
background representing the town's agricultural sector. The top
right section contains three fleur-de-lis on a blue background
indicative of the town's French Canadian origins. In the lower
left corner, white, crossed surveyor's flags on a blue background
recall the early development days and a black stylized ore car on
a green background depicts the town's mining industry. At the
bottom of the shield are three green maple leaves on a white
background representing the Town's early forest industry. |
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CELEBRATING
OUR COMMUNITY |
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Its
Time For Everyone In Valley East To Pull Together and Build The
Foundation For A Successful Future
by Robert Kirwan
Publisher
Valley East Today!
As I stood beside the pond in my back yard admiring
the new waterfall that my wife had recently constructed, I was
reminded of a song released a long time ago by the famous singer,
Harry Belafonte.
The main feature of the pond was a bucket turned over on its side,
allowing the water to flow freely out and down the hill in a stream.
The song by Belafonte, a banter between a husband
and wife about fixing a hole in the bucket, suddenly hit me that the
lyrics were symbolic of what is happening in the Greater Sudbury
Area, and in particular in Valley East.
The song begins with Lisa, the wife, asking her
husband to go fetch some water from the well. It goes something like
this:
"There’s a hole in the bucket, Dear
Lisa, Dear Lisa. There’s a hole in the bucket, dear Lisa, a hole.
Well fix it, dear Henry, dear Henry. Well fix
it, dear Henry. Fix it!
With what shall I fix it, dear Lisa, dear
Lisa. With what shall I fix it, dear Lisa. With what?
With straw, dear Henry, dear Henry. With
straw, dear Henry. With straw.
The straw is too long, dear Lisa, dear Lisa.
The straw is too long, dear Lisa, too long."
And so the song goes on and on with Henry stating
that the ax is too dull to cut the straw, and Lisa eventually
telling him to wet the stone to sharpen the ax. Henry finally comes
to the point where he asks with what he should carry the water to
wet the stone and is told to fetch it with a bucket, to which he
replies, "There’s a hole in the bucket, dear Lisa, dear Lisa.
There’s a hole in the bucket, dear Lisa. A Hole."
The song is a rather silly rendition, except that it
says a lot about what is going on in our community today.
Our population is declining; our unemployment rate
is one of the highest in the country; our children are moving away
to find jobs; our small businesses are having a hard time surviving;
restructuring of our municipality is not going the way it was
planned; our hospital is in financial trouble; the list goes on and
on.
The fact is: we have a hole in our bucket and until
we fix it, we will have a great deal of difficulty generating any
kind of economic stability in this area. |
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COMMUNITY
BUILDING IS AN ON-GOING PROCESS
WE NEED THE SUPPORT OF EVERYONE |
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Having lived in Valley East since 1974, and all of
my life in the Greater Sudbury Area, I realized that if I could make
any difference at all in bringing the region out of the hole into
which we were sinking, I had to make an effort.
I have a saying that I remember whenever I am faced
with a critical moment in my life:
"There are
two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or
accept the responsibility for changing them."
I want people to remember me
as a person who was not afraid of accepting the responsibility for
making positive changes in this community.
There have always been those who say that Valley
East has no real identity and that people
living here have no real sense of community - nor do they want to
develop a sense of community. They complain about everything and
tend to give up easily.
These people remind me about a story about two
frogs which fell into a deep bowl of cream. One was an optimistic
soul, but the other took the gloomy view.
"I shall drown," cried the
pessimist. "And so shall you."
So, with a last despairing cry, he closed his
eyes and said "Good-bye" and sank into the cream and died.
The people who do not believe in the potential of
Valley East declare that we will never amount to anything. They take
on the gloomy view and say that it is useless to even try.
On the other hand, there are those who have devoted
their lives to working for the good of the community. They are
people like the volunteers who have worked so hard as part of a
multitude of community groups. You will read about those people on
this web site. Those people remind me of the other frog which fell
into the deep bowl of cream.
After its partner gave up and sank to the
bottom, the other optimistic frog said, "I can't get out, but I
won't give in! I'll swim around till my strength is spent. If I have
to die, at least I will die content knowing that I didn't give
up."
And the frog bravely swam around and around
the bowl until his struggles began to churn the cream. Finally he
came to rest on top of the hardened butter which had been made as a
result of his continuous swimming. He then hopped out of the bowl to
safety.
I admire the people who have decided to continue to
try their best to build and develop a sense of community in this
fine municipality of Valley East. At times, it must seem as if no
one is listening and your struggles are for naught. But let the
lesson of the struggling frog be an inspiration. One day the cream
will turn to butter and Valley East will hop out of the bowl to the
bright future which awaits us all.
We are proud to do what we can to make a difference
with Valley East Today. By building this web site into one of the
most comprehensive community web sites in the country, we will
ensure that people all over the world have an opportunity to share
in the celebration of our 100 plus years of existence.
I invite all residents of Valley East to make a
resolve to take the optimistic view and to support the people, who,
year after year, put in hundreds of hours to provide us with
opportunities to come together as a community. The best way that we
can show our appreciation to these people is to take part in the
events that they organize year after year. We live in one of the
finest communities in Ontario. Let's show others, through our words
and deeds, that we truly believe in the future of Valley East and
that we are proud to call this community home. |
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WE ARE NOT ONLY LIVING HISTORY WE ARE
CREATING HISTORY EVERY SINGLE DAY
MAKE SURE YOU ARE RECORDING THE RIGHT THINGS |
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Let Us All Do Our
Part To Return To The Basics Of Life: People, Tolerance and Love |
As the years go by we are all reminded of the harsh reality
that our life is unfolding and that we can never change our past. This
reality becomes clearer as you get older.
I spent a great deal of time thinking about life in general as we
celebrated 100 years of existence as a community during the year 2004, ten
years ago. I
know many of you will be reading this editorial after the final candle is
blown out on the birthday cake, but nevertheless, now that we are in our
2nd Century, the points still apply.
How should we approach this living history of our community? What is it
that we want to remember? Moreover, what is it that we want Valley East to
stand for?
And then, the answer seemed to jump out at me as I was reading a little
passage recently.
It was a selection from "The Hymnbook", written by Arthur
Bowler. Every parent will understand why I was greatly moved by the story
and I’m sure every parent could also recount a similar experience. It
was then that I realized that each and every resident of Valley East is a
parent of our future. Our values today will shape the future for our
children. That is what this web site is all about. Recording details of
our past which will shape our future.
Suddenly, everything became clear to me as I read the following
passage. I now know how to approach this web site. We will record our
history, and we will focus on the things that really mean the world to us:
people, tolerance and love.
Enjoy "The Hymnbook"
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I watched intently as my little brother was caught in the act. He
sat in the corner of the living room, a pen in one hand and my father’s
hymnbook in the other. As father walked into the room, my brother cowered
slightly. He sensed that he had done something wrong. From a distance, I
saw that he had opened Dad/s brand-new book and scribbled across the
length and breadth of the entire first page with a pen. Now, staring at my
father fearfully, he and I both waited for his punishment.
My father picked up his prized hymnal, looked at it carefully,
and then sat down without saying a word. Books were precious to him. He
was a pastor and the holder of several degrees. For him, books were
knowledge, and yet, he loved his children. What he did in the next few
minutes was remarkable.
Instead of punishing my brother; instead of scolding or yelling
or reprimanding, he sat down, took the pen from my brother’s hand and
then wrote in the book himself, alongside the scribbles John had made.
"John’s words in 1959, age two. How many times have I
looked into your beautiful face and into your warm, alert eyes looking up
at me and thanked God for the one who has now scribbled in my new hymnal?
You have made the book sacred, as have your brothers and sister too so
much of my life"
Wow, I thought. This is punishment?
From time to time I take a book down—not just a cheezy
paperback, but a real book that I know I will have for many years to
come—and I give it to one of my children to ‘write’ their names in.
As I look at their artwork, I think of my father, and how he taught me
about what really matters in life: people, not objects; tolerance, not
judgement; and love, which is at the heart of a family.
I think about these things, smile, and I whisper, "Thank
you, Dad."
People, tolerance and love—the things that really matter in
life.
As I meet people in the years to come I will be asking for them to
share the things that really matter in life. Provide the stories for us so
that we can post them on this internet history book for others to read and
become inspired as they in turn create history.
Perhaps all we need to be truly happy in this world is a return to the
basics of life: people, tolerance and love.
My long range plans for this web site are going to reflect the really
important things.
If I do that, I am sure all the rest will fall into place. |
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VALLEY EAST 1850
- 2014
100 Years : Then & Now |
CELEBRATION 2004
MORE THAN JUST A BIRTHDAY PARTY |
"A special invitation
to all residents of Valley East to join together in
celebrating a hundred years of history as we take a giant leap
into a bright and exciting future!"
One day in March 2003 I decided to take part
in the celebration of our 100th year of existence by creating
this web site. It was to become a web site which would be a
"Living History" for all people to share in years to
come. I wasn't sure why I wanted to do this, but then I came
across the following passage which I would like to share with
you:
The air we breathe is so freely available that
we take it for granted. Yet without it we could not survive
more than a few minutes. For the most part, the same air is
available to everyone, and everyone needs it. Some people use
the air to sustain them while they sit around and feel sorry
for themselves. Others breathe in the air and use the energy
it provides to make a magnificent life for themselves.
Opportunity is the same way. It is everywhere.
Opportunity is so freely available that we take it for
granted. Yet opportunity alone is not enough to create
success. Opportunity must be seized and acted upon in order to
have value. So many people are so anxious to "get
in" on a "ground floor opportunity," as if the
opportunity will do all the work. That's impossible. Just as
you need air to breathe, you need opportunity to succeed. It
takes more than just breathing in the fresh air of
opportunity, however. You must make use of that opportunity.
That's not up to the opportunity. That's up to you. It doesn't
matter what "floor" the opportunity is on. What
matters is what you do with it.
After reading this passage I understood what I
had to do. I realized that CELEBRATION 2004 is the
‘Opportunity" we had been waiting for in Valley East. It was our chance to come together as a community, to return to
the spirit which once permeated all of our subdivisions many
years ago. In recent times our ‘sense of community’ has
disappeared. Valley East lost its identity with the
amalgamation into the City of Greater Sudbury. Many feel that
the City of Greater Sudbury itself has been searching
unsuccessfully for a sense of identity. It is now clear to me
that the people of Valley East have an opportunity of a
lifetime to bring that community spirit to life and to take a
leadership role in the entire region.
What is important is that everyone in Valley
East take advantage of the opportunity. It is time for all
organizations, religious groups, schools, sports associations,
playgrounds, senior citizens and people who care about the
future of this great community to come together and share in
more than merely a 100th Birthday celebration -
this is a CELEBRATION OF LIFE, YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW -
and it starts now!
Let the CELEBRATIONS CONTINUE - FOREVER! |
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A History of the first 100 years of
development in Valley East is now available as a
lasting souvenir book. Only 3000 copies were printed
of this collector's edition.
Valley
East 1850-2002 chronicles over 100 years of
history in the Valley, with over 900 photographs and accounts of
the people who carved their homes out of the raw land of the
Nickel Basin. This book traces the events that shaped their lives,
and the golden ages of lumbering, agriculture, railroading and
mining. Many descendents of these early pioneers live in the
Valley.
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LET'S MAKE SURE
THE CHOICES WE MAKE TODAY WILL BE THE CHOICES WE CAN LIVE WITH
TOMORROW
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We all need to make some serious choices today that
we can live with tomorrow. It is a time for business owners
and community leaders to step forward and build a better
future for our children by taking some action today.
To illustrate the point, let me share a
little story that is a real favourite of mine. It is called,
The Carpenter. I don’t know who the original author was, but
it was obviously a very wise person.
THE CARPENTER
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire.
He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the
house-building business and live a more leisurely life with
his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the
paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by. The
contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he
could build just one more house as a personal favour. The
carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his
heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship
and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end
a dedicated career. When the carpenter finished his work the
employer came to inspect the house. He handed the front-door
key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said.
"My gift to you."
The carpenter was shocked! What a shame! If
he had only known he was building his own house, he would have
done it all so differently."
A GREAT STORY! A GREAT LESSON!
We all build our life one day at a time.
Often we make poor decisions or do things that we regret and
then realize that we have to suffer the consequences of those
decisions. We know that if we had it to do all over again we
would, but we can’t turn back the clock. We are forced to
live with our decisions - good or bad. Each and every one of
us is a carpenter, building our own house. The sooner we
realize that it is our house and that we will have to live in
it for the rest of our life, the sooner we will start weighing
the consequences of our "construction". We will then
put our best efforts into the building so that we will be able
to enjoy the comforts and security of these good decisions and
choices. Each day of your life you are hammering nails,
placing boards or erecting walls in your personal
"house".
IT’S TIME TO RENOVATE VALLEY EAST
Before amalgamation, people were generally
proud to call Valley East home. Valley East meant something,
especially since we could call ourselves the City of Valley
East. And then we were asked to build another house. That
house was called The City of Greater Sudbury. This was not
something we wanted, and most of us were not really excited
about constructing this new home.
We celebrated our 100th birthday in 2004.
We are celebrating our 110th birthday in 2014.
It is now time for everyone in Valley East to get up, dust off
our clothes, and get busy rebuilding our home. It is time to
become truly aware of the good things that are going on in
Valley East and to support our friends and neighbours in their
efforts at improving the quality of life of those around us.
We don’t have to wait any longer for
things to happen in the Greater Sudbury Area. It is time for
Valley East to take the lead and rekindle the kind of
community spirit for which we were once known throughout the
province.
COMMUNICATION IS THE KEY!
We have two very effective communication
tools at our disposal with which to create the level of
awareness which is necessary to develop a strong community
spirit.
This web site,
www.valleyeasttoday.ca contains a wealth of information about Valley
East and should be used by all community leaders to let
everyone know about their activities and projects. It is time
for us to set the building blocks for a community in which we
want to remain for the rest of our lives. Let’s build a
proud and strong Valley East today that we can be proud of
tomorrow! Our Valley East Face Book Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/valleyeasttoday/ is
approaching 1400 members and with each person on Face Book
having an average of 130 Friends, this gives us the potential to
reach out to over 150,000 people in a single day with a single
post. An amazing statistic. |
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We're all in
This Together
Let's Use The Community Circle of Support
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There once was a slave named Androcles who
escaped from his master and fled into the forest.
As he was wandering about he came upon a lion
lying down moaning and groaning.
At first he turned to run away, but when he
noticed that the lion did not chase him, he turned back and went up to the
mighty beast. As Androcles came near, the lion put out his paw, which was
all swollen and bleeding. When he looked at the paw he saw a huge thorn
which was stuck in it causing all the pain. Androcles pulled out the thorn
and bound up the paw of the lion who was soon able to rise and lick the
hand of Androcles like a dog. The lion then took Androcles to his cave and
every day brought him meat on which to survive.
Shortly afterwards, both Androcles and the lion
were captured and the slave was sentenced to be thrown to the lion which
had been kept without food for several days. The Emperor and his people
came to see the spectacle. Androcles was led out into the middle of the
arena. Soon the lion was released from his den and rushed bounding and
roaring towards his victim. But as soon as the lion came near to Androcles,
he recognized his friend and fawned upon him, licking his hands like a
friendly dog. When the Emperor was told the whole story, Androcles was set
free and the lion let loose to return to his native forest.
This story has a great deal of significance
for us today. Even though there appears to be much prosperity and
wealth in the world today, when we look closely at the situation, we see a
completely different picture. There are hundreds of people living in
Valley East who are living in poverty, and like the lion in the story, are
reaching out for help of any kind to pull them out of this desolation.
There are also many businesses in Valley East which are struggling to
survive in these uncertain economic times. With a recession on the horizon
and decreasing sales figures, a lot of local businesses have been forced
to reduce staff and cut back drastically in all areas in order to keep
their doors open in hope of a better future just around the corner. It is
not certain how long they can hang on and they too are reaching out for
help to pull them out of despair. Finally, the rest of us find ourselves
in the enviable position of having good jobs and steady income, but yet,
we too are finding that skyrocketing costs are eating up much of our
money, forcing us to cut back on spending and search for cost-saving
alternatives. We too are reaching out for help.
In the story, Androcles had just escaped and was
wandering the forest without any food, knowing that his freedom could
disappear at any time, meaning certain disaster. The lion was hurt and
needed someone to help him take away his pain so that he could once again
walk the forest with confidence. It was Androcles who made the first move
to save the lion. Once the lion recovered, it was the lion’s turn to
help out Androcles. And in the stadium, the bond between the lion and
Androcles stood the ultimate test, resulting in both earning their
freedom.
Valley East has a lot in common with the story
about the lion and Androcles. Our community is all about businesses and
consumers living in harmony in a circle of support. The businesses of
Valley East are not looking for customers from Sudbury or the surrounding
towns. They are here to provide goods and services to the residents who
live in Valley East.
Consumers who shop locally help keep the
businesses viable and healthy by increasing their sales. As
businesses increase their sales, it enables them to expand and put more
people to work.
By reaching out to help each other - that is with
residents who are willing to support local businesses and with businesses
who are willing to provide local residents with good value for the goods
and services purchases - we will all benefit from the power of this
Community Circle of Support and move forward into a brighter future with
the confidence that we are all in this together. |
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VALLEYEASTTODAY.CA
IS YOUR WINDOW TO VALLEY EAST
OPEN THE BLINDS WHILE YOU CAN |
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"Residents
of Valley East Are Indeed Fortunate When It Comes To Being Informed.
However, This Good Fortune Should Not Be Taken For Granted." |
When it comes to being informed about community events
and the accomplishments and achievements of local residents, Valley East
surely must count its blessings. The Vision Paper was delivered to
each home in Valley East and Capreol for over 10 years. Each week it
contained a wealth of information about things that are most important to
people living in this part of the City of Greater Sudbury. Each week it
provided a venue through which businesses and individuals could communicate
to more than 25,000 people. Pierre Charette, owner of The Vision Paper,
along with Jean Guy Charette and the entire staff of the company are to be
commended for their years of hard work while they operated this
publication.
Unfortunately, The Vision Paper ceased publications at
the end of 2009. Now we must take the next step and use technology in the
form of www.valleyeasttoday.ca
, our own community electronic publication and our Face Book Group which
can be found at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/valleyeasttoday/ These have become our
Window to the Community through which informatiion can be "seen and
acknowledged".
Perhaps the best way to introduce the main message of
this editorial is to use one of my favourite stories. I simply call it
"The Little Red Hen".
One day a little red hen was scratching around in the
barnyard when she discovered some grains of wheat. She had a great idea
and called all of her barnyard neigbours together.
"If we plant this wheat, we shall have bread to
eat. Who will help me plant it?"
"Not I," said the cow. "Not I,"
said the duck. "Not I," said the pig.
"Not I," said the goose. "Then I
will," said the little red hen. And she did.
The wheat grew tall and ripened into golden grain.
"Who will help me reap my wheat?" asked the little red hen.
"Not I," said the duck. "Out of my classification,"
said the pig. "I’d lose my seniority," said the cow.
"I’d lose my unemployment compensation," said the goose.
"Then I will," said the little red hen, and
she did.
At last it came time to bake the bread. "Who will
help me bake the bread?" asked the little red hen. "That would
be overtime for me," said the cow. "I’d lose my welfare
benefits," said the duck. "I’m a dropout and never learned
how," said the pig. "If I’m the only helper, that’s
discrimination," said the goose.
"Then I will," said the little red hen.
She baked five loaves and held them up for her
neighbours to see. They all wanted some and, in fact, demanded a share.
But the little red hen said, "No, I can eat the five loaves
myself."
"Excess profits," said the cow.
"Capitalist leech," screamed the duck.
"I demand equal rights," yelled the goose.
And the pig just grunted. And they painted "unfair" picket signs
and marched around and around the little red hen, shouting obscenities.
When the government agent came, he said to the little
red hen, "You mustn’t be greedy."
"But I earned the bread," said the little red
hen.
"Exactly," said the agent. "That’s the
wonderful free enterprise system. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much
as he wants. But under our modern government regulations, the productive
workers must divide their product with the idle."
And they lived happily ever after, including the little
red hen, who smiled and chuckled. "I am grateful. I am grateful"
But her neighbours wondered why she never again baked
any more bread.
IT’S TIME TO LOOK THROUGH THE WINDOWS
Valley East Today is the window to the community. But it
takes the support and cooperation of individuals, organizations and
businesses to keep the window clean. Businesses must use the publication
to advertise and promote their goods and services so that the Vision has
enough funds to provide space to report on all of the activities.
We encourage people in the community to send us
information that can be posted on the web site at . Unless people take
advantage of this opportunity, the window will be useless.
Let’s not be like the barnyard animals who were quick
to run away when the little red hen needed help and were equally quick to
criticize the success of the little red hen. We will all benefit from www.valleyeasttoday.ca and
from our Face Book Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/valleyeasttoday/
It takes a lot of hard work to bring you publications
like www.valleyeasttoday.ca
and
https://www.facebook.com/groups/valleyeasttoday/ This hard work must be
supported by local businesses and local organizations. Individuals must
contribute stories and let us know about events that are going on so that
they can be covered. Take pride in your community and make a sincere
effort to "look through the windows"
Let’s all do our part and we can all share the bread! |
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We Need Not Be
Afraid of Adversity.
It Will Make Us Stronger! |
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As
the community of Valley East continues to struggle in the face of a large
economic slow-down, it is becoming clear that our entire future will
depend on the courage and tenacity of young people who are willing to
avoid the lure of greener pastures in the south.
Many years ago I
took part in a celebration which recognized close to one hundred
young entrepreneurs who have set up business in the City of Greater
Sudbury during the past ten years or so. Some of those businesses set up
in Valley East. It was a very touching ceremony, especially in light of my
background in marketing and advertising. I know that small businesses are
struggling. I also know that many people who depended on those small
businesses for part-time employment have lost their jobs and they too are
struggling to make ends meet while attempting to remain in the Sudbury
area.
A
gentleman by the name of Neil Eskelin once said that the way to understand
adversity is to take two identical acorns from the same oak tree and plant
them in two different locations. Plant the first one in the middle of a
dense forest, and the other one on a hill by itself. The oak standing on a
hillside is exposed to every storm and gale. As a result, its roots plunge
deep into the earth and spread in every direction, even wrapping
themselves around giant boulders. At times it may seem the tree isn’t
growing fast enough, but the growth is happening under ground. It’s as
if the roots know they must protect the tree from the threatening
elements. On the other hand, the acorn planted in the forest becomes a
weak, frail sapling - having to compete with giant oaks for nutrients and
space. And since it is protected by its neighbours, the little oak
doesn’t sense the need to spread its roots for support.
A
young person, or even an older person for that matter, who decides to set
up business in Valley East is well aware of adversity and challenges. The
business will face many “storms”, especially in the early going. The
business owners will have to be very much aware of opportunities and be
willing to change direction often in an effort to establish strong roots
in the form of relationships and associations. The young entrepreneur will
have to pay a great deal of attention to quality of work and be
responsible for providing only the best of service to clients. At times,
it may seem as if the business is doomed to failure, and the long, hard
hours of dedication and work will be difficult to take. Growth will also
be very slow as the business spreads its roots throughout the community in
order to survive.
An
immigrant who came to Sudbury from Europe many years ago, and lived his
life as a successful businessman, compared life in this city to a
cafeteria. When he first arrived in town, he sat down in a cafeteria-style
restaurant and waited for someone to take his order. Of course, nobody
did. Finally a woman with a tray of food sat down opposite him and
informed how a cafeteria worked. She told him to start at one end and then
go along the line picking out what he wanted. At the end of the line a
person would tell him how much he had to pay. The immigrant explained,
“I soon learned that’s how everything works in Sudbury. Life’s a
cafeteria here. You can get anything you want as long as you are willing
to pay the price. You can even get success, but you’ll never get it if
you wait for someone to bring it to you. You have to get up and get it
yourself.”
These
are two very important lessons, not only for young entrepreneurs, but for
anyone who has enough confidence in this region to remain in Sudbury, and
in particular, Valley East, and build a life here. First of all, don’t
be afraid of disappointments, frustration and adversity. It will make you
stronger and help you develop a strong root system, which will enable you
to survive all storms you will face over the years. Secondly, don’t wait
for someone to bring you success. You have to get up and get it yourself.
Good
luck to all young people who are ready to give Valley East a shot. Our
future depends on you.
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It is time for
Valley East to take a lesson from geese and move to the front of the
flock |
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Have you ever watched geese flying along in the
sky in a “V” formation? They fly like that because as each bird in
front flaps its wings it creates an updraft for the bird immediately
following. By flying together in a “V” formation, it has been
estimated that the whole flock adds over 70% to its flying range than if
each bird flew on its own. This means that the flock can cover their
journey much more quickly and with much less of an effort by working
together.
Geese work together so that the entire flock achieves a higher degree
of success. You would think that people would be able to discover this
strategy as well. It is a known fact that the City of Greater Sudbury is
in trouble. Unemployment is up! Businesses are closing! The hospital
construction has stopped! We are losing our youth to the south! Many small
businesses which are still operating are barely surviving! The jobs that
we are losing are high paying jobs in big industry, but the jobs that we
replace them with are low-paying entry-level jobs. There is no need to go
on.
Yet, in spite of this, we all share a common direction. Everyone living
in the City of Greater Sudbury really wants
to do something to improve the situation. We want to help stimulate
the economy and create new jobs so that our children can establish a
future in their home town. It is precisely this sense of community and
common direction which we must harness and use if we have any chance of
rising out of our current state and creating a brighter future for
everyone in the area.
In order to see how we can do this, we must once again take a lesson
from the geese. The situation in Sudbury is bleak, and we must take action
soon in order to correct the situation. Since we are all moving in the
same direction, we can travel on the thrust of one another and thrive on
the encouragement and support.
What the Greater Sudbury Area needs now is leadership. Valley East is
more than capable of providing that leadership. Together, we can use
Valley East Today to create the leverage we need to make our own community
stronger and then move out to the front of the pack to help bring the rest
of the flock - the other municipalities in the City of Greater Sudbury -
in the right direction.
We ask that every resident of Valley East make a sincere effort to do
their part to help make this community stronger. Valley East once held
enviable position of being the fastest growing municipality in the region.
We still are and we can still hold our heads up high.
Amalgamation may have taken away our right to call ourselves the City
of Valley East, but that was just a name. We haven't changed as a people.
We haven't changed as a community. It is time to move forward, and take a
lesson from the geese. It is our turn to move to the front of the
formation and lead the flock. Let's prepare for the journey. It is going
to take every bit of strength we can muster. |
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