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MALL PROGRAMS |
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MEETING OUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS A
CORPORATE CITIZEN OF OUR COMMUNITY
The Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre is proud to do whatever
we can to be of assistance to schools, churches, organizations
and community groups of all kinds. We feel it is important for
us to be actively involved in our community, not just as a
retail centre, but moreover as a responsible corporate
citizen. The descriptions that follow over the next two pages
will give you a good idea of how we are meeting our
citizenship objectives as a mall.
Robert Kirwan
Manager of Marketing & Public Relations
Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre |
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Mall Walking...One of The Fastest
Growing Exercise Programs Among All Age Groups
The
Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre is much more than just a place to go
for groceries or to pick up your retail supplies. It is one of the
largest indoor walking trails in the Greater Sudbury District.
Better yet, it is open seven days a week from as early as 8 a.m. in
the morning. Bring your favourite walking shoes any time of the day
and enjoy a leisurely walk around the mall. Stay as long as you wish
Mall Walking is growing in popularity by leaps and bounds.
Where else can you walk up to eight kilometers in an hour, enjoying
friendly conversation with your spouse or friends, listening to the
lively
music being played over the mall public address system and then follow it all up with a relaxing
cup of coffee, juice or even a full healthy breakfast? Walking is
becoming recognized by fitness experts as one of the best forms of
exercise which can be enjoyed in groups or simply by yourself. The
Mall Walkers at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre love the
atmosphere and will all tell you that this is one of the best places
to get in that hour or more of daily exercise. As a matter of fact,
there are many regulars in our Mall Walking Club who come at
different times of the day to do their walking. Some prefer the
quiet in the morning and others enjoy walking among the crowds and
seeing the activity once the stores are open for the day. Whatever
your preference, we invite you to work the Hanmer Valley Shopping
Centre into your fitness routine this winter. Now you don’t have
to let the cold and snow put a hold on your health. Drive over to
the mall and walk for an hour or two in climate controlled comfort.
Take a break whenever you want in one of our comfortable sitting
areas and have some refreshments from time to time. This could be
the year when you actually keep those New Year Resolutions. |
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MALL WALKING HOURS |
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You are welcome to come to walk the mall during
any of the following times: |
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Weekdays |
7:30 a.m. to
9:00 p.m. |
Saturdays |
7:30 a.m. to
5:30 p.m. |
Sundays |
10:00 a.m. to
5:00 p.m. |
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LETTER OF APPRECIATION |
I think a word of thanks should be given to Val
Mazzuca for the opportunity to exercise in the mall. Val has
always given to people in need. His shopping centre is also a
credit for shopping and the rest areas make it nice to sit and
catch up on news which people pass along while they can rest
and talk with their friends. On behalf of the entire community
I would like to express our appreciation to Val for the many
ways he makes it a pleasure to go to the Hanmer Valley
Shopping Centre. Thank you, Val.
Peter Wagner |
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COMMUNITY
BULLETIN BOARDS |
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SPECIAL INVITATION TO
COMMUNITY GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS
Robert Kirwan
Manager of Marketing & Public Relations
Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre |
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The Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre is truly a
community centre in all aspects of the word. It is one of the top
indoor shopping centres in the City of Greater Sudbury. We have a
wide variety of merchants and professionals who provide local
residents with all of the goods and services they will ever need.
And, most of all, we are always willing to lend a helping hand to
groups and organizations who need to use our facilities to increase
public awareness about their particular activities.
Working towards our common goals of enhancing the quality of life
in Valley East and Capreol, I am pleased to extend a special
invitation to all groups, organizations, schools, churches, etc., to
allow us to post appropriate information for you on the special
community bulletin board space that is now available in the mall.
There are 256 square feet of bulletin board under glass and
locked for security. All you have to do to have information about
your group or activity is bring the material to the Mall Office
(just past the hallway section) and leave it for Robert Kirwan. The
material will be posted until the end of your event. This is an
excellent way to let the general public know about your organization
and to give recognition to your fellow volunteers.
Many people recognize the value of these bulletin boards in keeping
up with the events and activities that are around town. As a result,
they make it a point to visit the bulletin board area every time
they are in the mall.
We look forward to helping your group in the months to come.
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USE OF MALL BY COMMUNITY GROUPS |
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The Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre is truly a community
centre in all aspects of the word. It is one of the top two or three
indoor shopping centres in the City of Greater Sudbury. We have a
wide variety of merchants and professionals who provide local
residents with all of the goods and services they will ever need.
And, most of all, we are always willing to lend a helping hand to
groups and organizations who need to use our facilities for
fund-raising or public awareness campaigns. We have provided assistance to Church groups, schools, sports teams,
service groups, etc. Our goal is to have some
sort of activity or event going on every week at the Hanmer Valley
Shopping Centre so that local residents will make it a point to stop
by and check us out. The more successful we are at achieving this
goal, the more successful groups and organizations will be when they
set up and sponsor their events during the coming year. We are
particularly interested in speaking to groups which are interested
in hosting events such as penny sales; raffles; bake sales; or
simply hobby displays to encourage people to join your
organizations. If you feel you would like to benefit from the
thousands of people who come through the mall every week, simply
call 969-7215 and ask to speak to Robert Kirwan, the Manager of Marketing
& Public Relations for the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre. |
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Annual Yellow Brick Road Held In The Mall Is A Huge Success For Kin Club of Valley
East |
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The Kin Club of Valley East held a
Yellow Brick Road
fund raiser to raise awareness and money for the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation on
Saturday, April 18, 2009
at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre.
Coordinator, Manon
Bolger, shown 2nd from the right in the photo, is a Service
Director with the District C.F. Foundation as well as a member of the Kin
Club of Valley East. In addition to Manon, District C.F. &
Service Director Randy Cruickshank from
Newcastle
,
Ontario
and Deputy Governor Kathy Alexander from
Keswick
,
Ontario
came up to spend the day with the group and help out.
According to Manon
the event turned out to be huge success. Three tables were set up in
the mall, one for the selling of the foot prints, one with Cystic Fibrosis
awareness materials and one representing the Kinsmen & Kinette Clubs
of
Canada
as the District Membership Director with information on the organization.
The one day event
raised $817.92 for Cystic Fibrosis with the sale of the foot prints and
silent auction.
The picture for the
silent action, which is shown in the group photo, was donated to us by ALL
INK located in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre and the winner was Jean
Proulx of Kapuskasing!
Manon expressed
appreciation to everyone who supported the event, “We want to extend a
very special thank you to Bob Kirwan, the management and staff of the
Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre and all who purchased a footprint on our
yellow brick road helping us to get "one step" closer to finding
a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.”
Josee
and Natasha Trottier are shown in the photo below planning their foot
prints on the floor in the mall.
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1st
Valley East
Scouts Greet Shoppers On Annual Apple Day |
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The 1st Valley East Scouts were out in full force during
the Annual Apple Day fund-raising drive for this popular youth
organization. Here they are shown at their station in the Hanmer Valley
Shopping Centre on Thanksgiving Saturday.
Kneeling in the front
is Cub Leader, Enrico Casati. Standing behind him are Karen Luoma (Cub
Leader); Justin Vautour (Scout); Bradley Pailing (Beaver); Zach Thorne
(Cub); Emily Vautour (Cub) and Deanna Bourdeau (Scout).
There are about 40
young boys and girls in the 1st Valley East Scout group this
year. They meet from September to May at Ecole Secondaire Hanmer every
Tuesday from
6:30
to
8:00 p.m.
where they take part in numerous skill- and
character-building activities.
If you are interested
in registering your child, or if you would like to find out more about
becoming a leader, you can contact Debbie Christianson at 969-7095.
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FUND-RAISING ACTIVITIES FOR
LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS |
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The Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre has become a
popular location for fund-raising activities conducted by local groups and
organizations. We provide our outside space as well as our indoor
facilities for these purposes free of charge. |
LOCAL GROUPS
RAISE MONEY THROUGH WEEKEND CAR WASH PROGRAM AT THE MALL |
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Local community groups and organizations are welcome
to take advantage of the warm summer weekends to raise some extra
cash by sponsoring car washes on the property beside the Hanmer
Valley Shopping Centre. There is no charge to the group for this
service. All you have to provide is the material, the hose and the
labour. The most popular day for car washes is Saturday, so if your
group is interested in booking one or two weekends during the
summer, it is suggested that you call 969-7215 and book well in
advance. |
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Annual Valentine's Penny Table
Raises Valuable Funds For Valley East Community Theatre |
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Sandra Desjardins, Secretary of the Valley East Community
Theatre, puts the finishing touches to the Annual Valentine's Penny Table
at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre on February 8. Each year at this time
the group organizes a huge penny table sale to help raise much-needed
funds for the theatre group. Shown examining the array of prizes is Marcel
Legault, a trustee with the French Catholic School Board and someone who
has always had an interest in the development of young artistic talent.
The next performance by the Valley East Community Theatre will be
popular musical, "Leader of The Pack". It will be held on April
24, 25, 26 and May 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, and 10. Each show will begin at 7 p.m.
at Hanmer Secondary School.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors and children.
You can pick up your tickets at M & R Grill (Capreol), Valley Plaza
Pharmasave; Paulette's Variety; Val Caron Rexall Drug Store; and Caisse
Populaire St-Jacques de Hanmer. |
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CERCLE
MISSIONNAIRE de la VALLEE Holds Successful Fund-Raising
Event At the Mall |
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Giselle Charette wanted to do something different this
spring to help raise money for Circle Missionnaire de la
Vallee. So she discussed an idea with several of her
co-volunteers at Circle Missionnaire and before long she found
herself in charge of a penny table, raffle and silent auction
on the weekend of April 12, 13 and 14.
“The
entire weekend was just amazing,” Giselle commented when
everything was over. “We had so many gifts donated and the
volunteers were just so cooperative. This has been one of our
most successful events of this kind we’ve ever had. And we
met so many people at the mall during the weekend. It was
fabulous!”
Indeed, the group has already booked their spot for
2009 and will return the weekend after Easter,
April 17 to 19, 2009
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CERCLE
MISSIONNAIRE de la VALLEE is an organization that was created
in the early 1990’s to provide assistance to Sister Therese
Lamoreux m.c.r. of the order of the Missionary of Christ the
King. Sister Therese was originally from
Chelmsford
. When Sister Therese set up a
mission at
Sigueneau
,
Haiti
, she discovered a tremendous
degree of poverty and hopelessness among the people. Thus,
Georgette Bergeron, President, and a number of volunteers from
St. Margeurite d'Youville Parish set out to do what they could
to help out.
Today,
CERCLE MISSIONNAIRE de la VALLEE collects over 60 tons of
goods and medical supplies from local donors and ships the lot
twice a year to Sister Therese. Besides providing assistance
to
Haiti
, CERCLE MISSIONNAIRE also sends
material to Moosonee and has a working relationship with the
other two food banks in
Valley East
, Good Neighbours and St. Vincent
de Paul.
When
donations come in, the volunteers check them out thoroughly to
make sure that any repairs are completed before packing them
in boxes, ready for shipping. With the permission of donors,
some of the items are put up for sale in the impressive flea
market section of the building. This is to raise money which
is then used to purchase medical supplies and help pay the
expenses of the building operation.
Georgette
tries to get into schools as often as she can to create
awareness of the poverty in
Haiti
. She also speaks to CWL,
Confirmation Groups and other community minded organizations.
Most of the donations come to the group via word of mouth.
Georgette will also accept cash donations and indicated that
all donations of $20 or more will be given a tax receipt.
CERCLE
MISSIONNAIRE de la VALLEE originally ran out of the old Our
Lady of Fatima school building on
Percy Street
in
Blezard
Valley
. In January 2004, the organization moved to their new, much
larger location at the former public works building on
Desmarais Road
in Val Therese. The space is much larger and enables the
volunteers to have enough space to display items for their
weekly flea market and do their packing for the next shipment
to
Haiti
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Every
Wednesday, from 12 noon to 4 p.m. CERCLE MISSIONNAIRE de la
VALLEE opens up their building for one of the largest a flea
markets you can find in the entire district to help raise
money to purchase supplies for the next shipment to Haiti.
If you have any items to donate or would like to make a
financial donation, just drop in to their new home in the old
Public Works building on Desmarais road any Wednesday
afternoon from 12 noon to 4 p.m. or call 969-2192 for more
information.
In the
photo below, Georgette Bergeron is shown on the left, with
Jacqueline Cormier, selling tickets to the penny table.
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SUPPORTING LOCAL EDUCATION
INSTITUTIONS |
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The Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre is pleased to
be able to help out our education institutions whenever we can. The mall
is often used by post-secondary school students to conduct surveys and do
projects that are part of their program of study. |
Laurentian
University Students Conduct Survey Of
Residents of In |
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Two
new residents of Valley East who moved here from
Marathon
, Rene and Diane Brunelle,
shown on the right in the photo, were more than happy to give up a few
minutes of their time recently to help out a group of Laurentian
University students with one of their projects.
The students, from the left: Melissa Kirkey, Danielle Roy and
Courtney Conaty, are all in the 2nd Year of a four-year
Bachelor of Commerce Program. One of their major assignments for the year
is the development of a new product that could be brought to market. In
order to determine the viability of their product they are required to
conduct interviews with potential customers to gather information that
will be beneficial in their marketing efforts. They decided to conduct
their survey at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre.
The product created by
the group was a “pack of greeting cards designated to a particular
person and containing all the cards that would be needed for the occasions
throughout the year”.
Two other members of the group, Justin Sawicz and Michelle Goneen
were present for the photo. The entire group will be appearing on The
Learning Clinic, a local education radio talk show on CKLU 96.7 FM on
Monday, November 17 at 6:00 p.m. to share their thoughts about the
Commerce Program at Laurentian. Any secondary school student who might be
interested in enrolling in this program in the future should listen to the
show or pick it up on their computer off the web site at www.cklu.ca .
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Laurentian University Nursing
Students Conduct Vital Signs Clinic |
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As part of their program, students enrolled in the
Laurentian University Nursing Programs are required to spend a number of
hours in community and clinical settings. On February 11, 2008, seven of
the students, under the supervision of Lynn Aubuchon, third from the right
in the photo, conducted a Vital Signs Clinic at the Hanmer Valley Shopping
Centre.
Shown in the photo, from left to right, are: Carrie-Ann Castilloux,
Marie Rose, Dominique Leroux, Renee Bertrand, Nathalie Lebeau, Lynn
Aubuchon, Charlene Quesnel, and Fatima Sankoh.
The girls are all part of the 4 year French language nursing program at
the school. |
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MINOR
SPORTS REGISTRATION |
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The Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre is pleased to offer
space for Minor Sports organizations to conduct their annual
registrations. Our mall is open seven days a week and closes at 9
p.m. every weeknight, providing a level of convenience which is
unavailable at most venues. For more information about setting up
your registration tables, contact Robert Kirwan, Manager of
Marketing & Public Relations at 969-7215. |
Valley East Minor Soccer
Registrations Remind Everyone That Summer Is Just Around The Corner |
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Registration was scheduled to begin at 5:00
p.m. on Friday March 23, 2007, but the people begin lining up almost a
half hour early to sign up for the 2007 soccer season with the Valley East
Minor Soccer Club. Registrations will continue on Friday, March 30 (5 to
8); Saturday, March 31 (10 to 4); and Saturday, March 7 (10 to 4).
Once all of the registrations are taken and the teams formed, play is
scheduled to begin the week of May 29, 2007. All games are played Monday
through Thursday with the adults playing on Sunday evening as well.
Make-up games are played on Fridays.
The Valley East Soccer Tournament is scheduled for the weekend of June
22, 23 and 24.
Playoffs are tentatively scheduled for August 7 to 12 inclusive with
final playoff games occuring during the weekend of August 10 to 12.
If you require any further information contact the Soccer Line and
leave a message at 969-8497. |
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Good
Start For
Toronto
Blue Jays Means Increased Registrations for Minor Ball
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Registration
totals for minor baseball in
Ontario
always increase whenever
the Toronto Blue Jays do well in spring training and early in the season,
so it was no surprise to Debbie St. Jean, President of the Valley East
Minor Baseball Association to see positive numbers during their first two
weekends of registration. Debbie is shown in the middle of the photo
taking one of the many registrations that came in during her time at the
mall. Sitting to her left is Joy Jokinen, Director of Operations for VEMBA,
and to her right is Dan Beaudry, Vice President.
“Our provincial
association tells us that registrations are directly related to the
success of the Blue Jays, so we were glad to see them off to a good
start,” Debbie explained. “Our numbers have been going up steadily for
the past couple of seasons and we expect more of the same this year.”
When the first pitch is thrown the first week of June, there will
be over 200 boys and girls from 4 to 20 years of age playing baseball on
fields throughout
Valley East
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Debbie went on to give an
overview of the season. “We
begin the season the first week of June and end around the middle of
August. Each team plays two games a week plus we hold a house league fun
tournament the weekend of June 27 and 28. Many of our divisions have
traveling teams which play in tournaments throughout the summer. We will
be hosting a bantam tournament on July 11 and there will be some double
headers from time to time. Most of our house league teams play against
teams from the Valley only, but a couple of divisions in the older age
categories play in a loop with some
Sudbury
area clubs.”
With 12 to 13 players on a team, it is certain that everyone will
get plenty of playing time during the summer season. This is important
since the VEMBA prides itself on being a developmental organization, with
the top priority being to help young players develop the skills necessary
to better enjoy the game. It’s all about fun at the house league level.
Another popular event, the Blue Jays Clinic will be held during the
summer, featuring trainers from the Toronto Blue Jays working with young
players from the Valley East Minor Baseball Association.
The final weekend for registrations will be held at the Hanmer
Valley Shopping Centre on Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27 from 12
noon to 4 p.m. each day. All boys and girls wishing to play baseball this
summer should make sure to register on those days.
For more information you can always go to the web site that you can
access at www.vemba.ca or you can call
the main office line at 897-5959.
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CENTENNIAL QUILT NOW ON DISPLAY
IN THE NORTH WING OF THE SHOPPING CENTRE |
Fern
Legault has lived in Valley East all her life. So it is not
surprising that she wanted to do something special to celebrate our
Centennial Year in 2004. Her project, however, will live on forever
in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre in a huge display case which
will provide thousands of visitors with pleasant memories. Fern, who
has resided in the same house in Val Therese for the past 33 years,
began working on the quilt in July of 2004. She put in over 2500
hours for the next five months, painstakingly cutting and gluing and
sewing pieces of fabric on to the 30 square foot quilt. By the time
she finished, a total of 48 different key sites in Valley East were
mounted on the quilt. Fern and her husband, Paul, will be
celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary on June 19,
2005. They raised three children during that time: Nicole (33), Paul
Jr. (35), and Suzanne (39). Many people will remember Fern by her
maiden name of Blais, since her father operated Blais Body Shop on
Radar Road for many years. As a matter of fact, with the exception
of the body shop, and the old Woodland Hotel, all other 46 sites on
the quilt are still in existence and still going strong today. Once
Fern collected the photos she would use for the quilt, her and Paul
had to make a trip to Cambridge to purchase the proper material in
colours which would match the photos. It was a labour of love that
will provide many wonderful memories for visitors to the shopping
centre. We all thank Fern for this magnificent gift. |
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CUSTOMER
APPRECIATION
CONTESTS |
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Popular Customer Appreciation Contests
Are Organized By Merchants At Various Times of The Year
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Customer Appreciation
Contests are always popular among the shoppers who visit the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre. Shoppers
are usually encouraged to enter by filling out a ballot
and leaving it in the drums which are generally located just outside the
entrance to Food Basics, Hanmer Home Hardware and
Valley Plaza Pharmacy at the northwest corner of the mall. The other drum, shown below,
is usually just outside Billie
Jeans. The prize packages consist of hundreds of dollars of gift
certificates or merchandise donated by mall merchants. |
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EDUCATION
WEEK DISPLAYS AT THE MALL WILL SHOWCASE STUDENT WORK AND REMIND US HOW
IMPORTANT IT IS TO ENCOURAGE LEARNING
Education Week is a time set aside
each year to take a few moments to recognize the important place learning
has in our life. It is also a chance for us to recognize the
accomplishments and achievements of our youth. This year, many schools
from Valley East will set up displays of student work at the Hanmer Valley
Shopping Centre. It is important for our children
to see that we are interested in their school work, so we should all spend
some time visiting the mall to look at the displays. Even if your own
child’s school is not participating, you should comment on how nice it
is to see the work of other children. It will be a motivation for your
child to try harder in his own situation. We should also, as adults, take
a few minutes to reflect upon our own "learning program".
Learning is a life long process. You never stop learning. So what are you
doing to make sure that your learning is helping you become a better
person. Go to the library. Pick up that book you got for Christmas. Spend
some time surfing the internet on interesting topics. Do it now! |
Julien Mailloux, a Grade One student at Val Caron's Notre
Dame de L'Esperance, and his brother, Justin, Grade 4, take time to look
over the display put up by their school at the Hanmer Valley Shopping
Centre during Education Week. Local schools have been invited to set up
displays all year long in the mall in order to provide more public
awareness about the accomplishments and achievements of our young
citizens. |
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SANTA
CLAUS COMES TO TOWN!
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The chair at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre will be
filled by Santa Claus every weekend in December.
HOURS OF SANTA'S VISITS
Fridays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sundays from 12 noon to 4 p.m.
FINAL WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS
During the final week before Christmas, Santa will be in the mall for
some additional hours in order to give parents a chance to visit with
their children.
BRING YOUR OWN CAMERA
Each year, instead of bringing in a professional photographer to take
pictures and sell them to parents, the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre has
decided to allow parents and grandparents to bring their own cameras and
take as many photos as you would like. We know that it it nice to have a
group photo with mom and dad along with Santa as well, so this means that
you can end up with some great memories that will last a lifetime and not
have to worry about paying the $15 or $20 for a professional photo.
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Taking Own Photos
With Santa Claus Is An Idea That Is Much Appreciated By Local
Parents |
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An unidentified young boy enjoying his candy cane sits
patiently with Santa Claus while his parents take several photos in an
effort to get the perfect picture to save forever. This is the second year
that the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre has instituted a policy which
allows parents and grandparents to take their own photos with Santa. It
was done in an effort to save money for parents who normally must purchase
expensive packages from professional photographers in most malls. Judging
by the positive feedback, this is a policy which is likely to remain in
place at the mall for some time to come. |
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FREE GIFT WRAPPING JUST BEFORE
CHRISTMAS IS APPRECIATED BY SHOPPERS |
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Every year, just before Christmas, The Valleyview Community
Church sets up in the mall to provide free gift wrapping for shoppers.
This is a much-appreciated service. |
Valleyview
Community Church Once Again Brings Out The Free Gift Wrapping For
Local Shoppers |
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Lou Dotto, to the left in the foreground, spent a busy few
days at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre wrapping holiday gifts for local
shoppers. This was about the fifth year that the Valleyview Community
Church has organized this free service for local residents. It is much
appreciated by the busy, last-minute shopper. The gift wrapping is free,
but many people donated an item of food for the needy to say thank you for
the service. |
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Here, Lou is shown with his wife Bernadette during a quiet
moment. |
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Karen Stenbraaten, on the left, and Kimberly Irving were
also two of the volunteers from the Church who took part in the gift
wrapping activity. |
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CENTRAL DEPOT FOR FOOD BANKS |
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The Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre is pleased to provide
space as a drop-off depot for the local Food Banks. Being open seven days
a week makes this a convenient location for residents wishing to donate to
the needy. |
Food Bank Depot Will Remain Up For
Donations All Year Long To Help Those In Need |
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The Good Neighbours Food Bank in Hanmer, run by Anne Unwin
and her hard-working group of volunteers, have had a challenging time
recently keeping up with the demand for food from
needy families. Where they usually fed approximately 50 families per
month, they are now seeing up to 90. In order to provide a convenient
place for local residents to donate food and supplies, the Hanmer Valley
Shopping Centre has decided to keep the Food Bank Depot in place all year
long. Anyone who wishes to drop off food or gifts for the Good Neighbours
Food Bank is asked to simply leave the items in the Food Bank Depot which
will be located at the entrance just outside Food Basics. If you wish to
donate money, just leave it with the one of the sales clerks at Valley
Plaza Pharmasave. |
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From time to time the mall is used as a central place for
residents of the community to meet with celebrities, These events are
usually sports related or are sponsored by the municipal organizations. |
Hundreds
of Local Residents Meet Half of the Famous Staal Brothers At
Desjardins' Food Basics Autograph Session |
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Marc Staal, Captain of the Sudbury
Wolves and destined to join his other two brothers, Eric and Jordan in the
NHL for the 2007-2008 season, is shown at the end of an
"exhausting" autograph session with his younger brother, Jared
on the right. The two talented players had just finished an hour of
continuously signing posters, jerseys, hats, sticks, etc. as fans of all
ages spent a few brief moments that they will be able to talk about for
the rest of their lives.
Blaine Smith, Vice-President of Hockey Operations, is
standing on the far left in the photo. Blaine Smith, who is a graduate of
the Sports Administration program at Laurentian University, has served in
just about every role possible on the staff and is currently celebrating
his 25th year with the Sudbury Wolves.
Beside Blaine is Bill
Nurmi, Territory Development Manager
for Campbell Soup Company Ltd., one of the corporate sponsors of the
Sudbury Wolves.
The third
gentleman in the back row is Ken
Desjardins’ owner of Desjardins’ Food Basics, who along with Gary
Doyle, owner of Doyle's Food Basics, has been a major corporate sponsor of
the Sudbury Wolves for three years and is the team's Official
Grocer.
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Marc Staal, on the left, was born on January 13, 1987. The
20 year old who wears #14 stands in at a solid 6' 4" and 205 pounds,
making him a sure bet for a contract with the New York Rangers in the fall
of 2007. The Rangers drafted Marc 12th overall in 2005 after the Sudbury
Wolves picked him in the 1st round of the midget entry draft in 2003. He
is a left-hand shooting defenseman who has the frame to battle with the
tough stars of the NHL. Marc has already had a story-book hockey career,
winning two gold medals with Team Canada at the World Junior Championships
and received the top defenseman award in 2006.
Jared, on the right in the photo, was born on September 21, 1990 and
hails from Thunder Bay. The 16-year old is in his first season with the
Wolves and already stands in at 6' 2" and 180 pounds. He now plays
right wing, shoots right and wears #27. Jared was a first round pick by
the Wolves in the midget entry draft of 2006, playing last year with the
Thunder Bay Kings Midget AAA. He is eligible for the 2008 NHL draft and is
expected to see a lot of playing time during the 2007-2008 season.
The crowd, partly shown in the photo below, began lining up forty
minutes before the autograph session was scheduled to begin and gave the
Staal brothers a hearty ovation when they arrived. |
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Valley
East's John Rodriguez Enters The Race For Mayor of The
City of Greater Sudbury |
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"Good morning citizens, friends, and members of the media.
Thank you for coming to the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre this
morning to witness my decision to declare my candidacy for Mayor
of this great city of ours."
With those words, on Thursday, July 27, 2006, one of the most colourful political leaders
to ever come from the Sudbury region announced that his name
would be on the ballot in the November 13, 2006 municipal
election.
Rodriguez began his political career in 1967 - a career which
includes acting as the Member of Parliament for the federal
Nickel Belt Riding from 1972 to 1980 and again from 1984 to
1993. During his time in federal politics, John established a
strong network of contacts in both Ottawa and Toronto. His
knowledge of how the political system operates at the upper
levels will serve as one of his strongest assets as leader of
the City of Greater Sudbury.
"It is an understatement to say that there is a mood of
dissatisfaction about how our city functions," he added.
"I sense a collective disillusionment by many citizens over
unfulfilled promises made at the time of amalgamation. As a
result large numbers of citizens, primarily from outside the
core city, feel excluded and alienated within the City of
Greater Sudbury. This is one of the major concerns that has
persuaded me to make today's decision. I have tremendous
optimism and hope for our city and I believe that I have
positive ideas that will inspire our communities and our
neighbourhoods to work together in developing a sense of
inclusivity in the City of Greater Sudbury."
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As part of his opening address to dozens of onlookers,
Rodriguez emphasized the following, "I believe that
municipal government must also concern itself with the quality
of life for its citizens. Therefore, I will ensure that the
recreational needs and cultural aspirations of our citizens
receive paramount attention in my term of office. As Mayor, I
will support economic development, led by the private sector and
supported by the City. As Mayor, I will work with city Council,
city staff, provincial and federal parliaments to build and
expand our community's strengths in mining, education, tourism
and health care. Council will have a role, along with our
community groups and the business community to see that money
committed to economic development is spent fairly and wisely to
benefit all parts of our city and in full view of our
citizens."
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Members of the media welcomed John Rodriguez's candor and
openness, firing all kinds of questions during the scrum that
followed his announcement. Once again he reiterated his commitment
to "work to ensure that citizens, no matter where they live
in the City of Greater Sudbury, feel included. There will be no
"area specific" service charges."
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COIN COLLECTOR EXHIBIT EVERY
MONTH |
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Many local residents have taken up coin collecting as a
hobby. The Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre provides space for John Brown to
set up his display and meet with these collectors every month. |
Collecting Coins Is An Excellent And
Potentially Rewarding Hobby For All Ages |
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John Brown, owner of "The
Connoisseur", otherwise known among these circles as "The Coin
Guy", can be found every month at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre
with his display of coins and memorabilia. Coin enthusiasts from around
the area, and as far away as North Bay, regularly visit with John to talk,
trade and buy collectors' items of all kinds.
Young William Gagne, an eleven year old collector, was one of the
visitors to John's exhibit recently.
William, who is a Grade 5 student at Ecole Notre Dame in Hanmer, has
been collecting coins all his life, an interest that was started by his
grandfather. |
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John will spend hours talking to visitors about
coins.
"Besides learning so much about the history of different
countries, this can be a great long-term investment for anyone," he
explained while holding up some bills that were worth thousands of
dollars. The two 1937 $50 bills in his hand are valued at over $2250
because of their mint condition and the fact that they contain two
consecutive serial numbers. "You can imagine how hard it would be to
find two bills in mint condition with consecutive serial numbers. The
value of these bills will just keep climbing every year, so even if a
person buys it now for $2250, you know you will make your money back and
much more when you sell it some time in the future."
John mentioned that some people have sold their complete coin set and
made enough money to buy a house. This is especially the case for people
who start collecting when they are very young, like William.
"The value of coins and bills depends a lot on their
condition," he explained. "Many people think the older a coin is
the more valuable it is, but that isn't always the case. Coins that are
misprints or during years when there were very few of them produced are
more valuable. And the better the condition, the more valuable they
become."
Many coin collectors explain that they were started on the hobby at a
very young age and just kept at it, accumulating interesting coins from
different countries and different sets over the years.
"You would be amazed at how much money has slipped through your
pockets over the years," John explained. "Coin collectors get
into the habit of examining all of the coins they receive to see if there
is anything special about them or if they have any dates that are missing
in their collection. Some go to the bank every week to buy rolls of coins
and then check the coins to see if they can find any that they can use.
Quite often a very valuable penny will be mixed in with the rest and
instead of paying hundreds of dollars from a coin collector, you can pick
it up at face value from the bank. If you have a set of every single penny
that was produced by Canada in the 20th century, you can imagine how
valuable that would be to some collectors. And you may be able to build
that set simply by checking pennies from rolls you buy at the bank."
Check out the Calendar of Events schedule for the Hanmer Valley
Shopping Centre to find out when John will be back in the Valley with more
coins and stories to tell.
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SITTING AREAS LOCATED THROUGHOUT
THE MALL FOR CUSTOMERS TO MEET FRIENDS |
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The Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre wants all local residents
to consider us to be their "community centre". We have set up
comfortable sitting areas throughout the mall for the convenience of our
shoppers and we encourage them to meet their friends during the day for a
coffee or a chat. The Centre Court is our most popular meeting place. |
Centre Court At the Mall Is The
Place To Be Every Afternoon To Discuss Politics of The Day |
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The first Mayor of Valley East, Mr. Raymond Plourde, second from the right,
is shown having a conversation with several of his friends during one of the
"Afternoon Council Sessions" that are held daily in the Centre
Court Sitting Area at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre. The gentlemen enjoy
their afternoon conversations with friends and acquaintances as they discuss
everything under the sun. The mall has developed a very community-friendly
image over the past couple of years, making this a true community centre for
young and old alike. |
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