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CATHOLIC WOMEN'S
LEAGUE
WEDNESDAY LADIES' CLUB |
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The CWL organizes a special Wednesday Ladies' Club from
September to April (to coincide with the golf season according to Nancy
Shank). Every Wednesday morning, anywhere from 12 to 24 ladies gather in
the parish hall to work on a variety of craft and creative projects to
help needy causes in the community. They have done projects to help the
local schools, food banks and several other service groups. In addition,
they prepare for their annual Christmas Tea and Bazaar which is held in
November at the Centennial Arena in Hanmer. Each year the tea attracts
over 600 people. In 2005, the Tea will be held on Sunday, November 13 from
12 noon to 3 p.m. |
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This year the CWL Tea and Bazaar will feature a special
"Stuffed Animal" table where visitors can pick up some great
cuddly little creatures for $2 to $3. All of the animals have been washed,
many washed by Cecile Barriault of Valley View Cleaners, shown below. The
ladies in the group above are, from the left: Aline Connors; Doris Labelle
(President of the CWL); Carmen Lehto (Past President); Linda Grant; and
Josephine Leblanc. |
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Shown below, working on decorating six Santa Claus dolls
are, from the left: Ann Mount; Jean Everest; Anne Simpson, and; Aline
Connors. |
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The kitchen crew was busy baking Christmas pies for the tea
when we came in to take the photo. The picture was rushed since the buzzer
went off just after the group assembled and they were worried about
burning the pies. Shown from the left are: Lou Burns (Co-convenor of the
Tea); Gail Collins (Co-convenor of the Tea); Sue Beaudry; Dina Farinon;
Annette Banfich; Theresa Sangelais; and Pat Hinds. |
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Nancy Shank was busy stitching and sewing fabric together
to dress up the stuffed animals. |
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The Wednesday morning club began around the year 1995,
originally to help prepare for the Annual Christmas Tea and Bazaar.
However, as Doris Labelle explained, "Everyone had such a good time
that we decided to continue it all year. We get together for mass at 9 in
the morning and then come into the hall to work on projects. We eat lunch
together and most of us stay around until about 3 or 3:30 p.m. We miss it
when we stop for the summer.
In fact, the CWL is extending an open invitation to ladies from the
entire community to joint them on Wednesday mornings.
"This is a real true circle of friends that we have developed
here," stated Carmen Lehto, Past President of the CWL. "This
gives us a chance to spend time with other ladies who enjoy working on
crafts and other projects. And you don't have to feel as if you need to be
skilled to join us. If you are not handy at crafts, there are plenty of
other things you can do to help out. It is just a great way to stay in
touch with each other."
You do not have to belong to St. Kevin's Parish to take part in the
Wednesday morning sessions. If you don't want to attend mass at 9, just
come in for 10:00 a.m. There is no cost to join. But once you come, be
prepared to continue for a long time, because the comraderie that is felt
among these ladies is something special.
For more information, contact
Doris Labelle at 969-2077 or
Carmen Lehto at 969-4739 |
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The coldest day of June brought back Memories of 'Summerfest
1992' for many of the organizers of the St. Kevin's Family Fun Day. During
that year they woke up to snow on the ground on June 20. The 2006 event
won't go down as the coldest in history, but it certainly felt cold with
the strong north wind blowing and the 4 degree temperature early in the
morning. |
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The cold didn't deter 8-year old Bailey Laforest and her
brother, Blake (5) when their mother, Kim took them for a barbecue hot dog
at the food tent manned by John Marcuccio and head chef, Stan Kunto seen
standing behind the table. |
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Over by the Penny Sale table, Helen Michaud on the left and
Sarah Pilon were trying desparately to stay warm while taking care of
visitors who wanted to take their chances on winning a bicycle or some of
the fantastic prizes on the Penny Table. |
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The covered yard sale was a popular spot all weekend long.
Joe Warrenda, shown on the left in the photo below negotiating prices with
some of his young customers, was the organizer of the Yard Sale. |
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A Day Of Fun In The Outdoor Kitchen For The Giroux Girls
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The St. Jacques Parish St.
Jean de Baptiste Annual Picnic was an excellent opportunity for the Giroux
family to get in some good, quality time together. In the photo, Marie-Marthe
Giroux, in the middle, is showing her daughters, Janelle on the left and
Amelie on the right how to make sure those hamburgers and hot dogs are
done to perfection. Hundreds of visitors enjoyed “one dollar” hot dogs
and burgers in commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the
parish.
In the photo below, J.P.
Belanger, President of the Parish Council on the left, and Georges
Boudreau, President of the Centennial Committee, take time to reflect upon
the success of the annual picnic.
“It’s more about
community-building than it is about fund-raising,” stated Belanger when
discussing the picnic. “We will make a bit of money during the weekend,
and that money will be put to good use for the parish, but this gives us a
good opportunity to bring the parishioners together and extend an
invitation to the rest of the community to join with us in celebration. We
are 100 years old this year, and we have a lot of history to celebrate.”
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St.
James In The Valley Ladies Make A Big Difference In The Community
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Bea
McFarlane, sitting on the left; Gail Levert, standing; and Ena Boulay on
the right, are three of the over 22 active ladies who make up the St.
James in the Valley United Church Women (UCW). In the photo they are shown
taking care of the Penny Table and Bake Sale during Valley East Days at
the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre. This is always one of the most popular
events of the weekend as hundreds of happy shoppers walk away with
delicious treats made by the ladies. The ladies will hold their Christmas
Tea on November 19 from 12 to 3. That promises to be a great afternoon for
everyone. They also hold a Cookie Walk in the spring. All of the funds
raised by the UCW go back into the Church to be used to help others in
need.
The St. James in the Valley UCW meets once a month to talk about
various projects in which they are involved. More importantly, however,
they meet to keep in touch with each other and to discuss the important
things that are going on in their lives and in their families. This is the
type of comraderie that becomes extremely important for people of all ages
and all walks of life. To be connected to a group of friends who share a
common purpose and who are devoted to giving of their time and energy to
help others is something to be treasured. We not only congratulate the St.
James in the Valley ladies for their accomplishments, we thank you for
making this town a better place to live.
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The United Church Women of St. James
In The Valley Are Very Pleased With The Support They Received At
Their Annual Fall Bake Sale & Penny Table Sale |
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It was all smiles for Gail Levert on the left and Gwen McLean as they
recorded names and phone numbers of people who took part in the 2006 United
Church Women of St. James In The Valley Annual Fall Bake Sale & Penny
Table Sale which was held at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre on September
8 and 9. |
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The table was filled with dozens of wonderful gifts and prizes from which to
choose. |
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Sandy George, left, and Ena Boulay are shown above arranging the delicious
baking goods that were donated by the ladies of the church. The women were
constantly re-stocking the table and some even had to go home on Friday
evening to bake some more for Saturday. |
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Sharon Miron, above, was one of the many volunteers who gave of their time
during the weekend. Below, Gladyse Trites takes time to drop Penny Table
tickets into the containers before beginning her "shift" behind
the table on Friday morning. |
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Free Christmas Wrapping By Valleyview
Community Church Much Appreciated By Customers At The Mall |
Lou
Dotto, and his wife, Bernadette, are shown in the photo
at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre wrapping gifts for shoppers. This was
the 4th year that the Valleyview Community Church sponsored the free
wrapping session. The material is provided by the members of the church.
Cash donations were not accepted for this service. Instead, if anyone
wanted to donate food for the needy, then the volunteers would take that
and make sure it was delivered to the food banks. Hundreds of appreciative
shoppers took advantage of this wonderful act of kindness and generosity
on the part of the Valleyview Community Church. |
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Kingdom Hall of Jehovah Witnesses
Provide Information Display Every Month |
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The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses have scheduled one weekend every
month when they will be at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre with an
information display and free literature for anyone who is interested in
finding out more about their organization. Above, Marie and Jennifer
Dawson took the first shift on Saturday, October 14, 2006, while Cassandra
Porter and Linda Vincent took the second shift. |
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The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, located on Hwy 69North just
across from Carol Richard Park in Val Caron, includes approximately
150 "members" or "publishers". Recent renovations to
the structure which was built in 1990 have been completed and it is
expected that Valley East Today will be taking our readers on a
"Virtual Tour" of the facility in coming weeks. In the meantime,
if you have any questions you would like to address to the Jehovah
Witnesses or if you are interested in becoming a member, simply email Philip
Dawson by clicking on his name. |
Lucille & Jacques Vincent spent a bit of time at the
Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre on April 22, 2006, providing shoppers with
information about the Jehovah's Witnesses. The organization sets up in the
mall every month. Different members of the religious group take turns
supervising the table and greeting local residents who are interested in
talking about some of the basic principles of their belief. |
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Le Chevaliers de Colomb #1060
Sponsor
PAROISSE STE-MARGUERITE-D'YOUVILLE
Sunday Brunch |
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Gerard Chartrand, of 2 on the left, was a very busy man during the morning
of November 5, 2006 as he took responsibility for organizing the monthly
Sunday Brunch at PAROISSE STE-MARGUERITE-D'YOUVILLE. This regular feature of
the parish schedule is always a popular event for the parish as anywhere
from 300 to 400 people turn out for the wonderful $5.00 brunch
special. |
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PAROISSE STE-MARGUERITE-D'YOUVILLE is situated in Val Therese, on Highway 69
North. The parish serves over 600 families from Val Therese, Val Caron and
McCrea Heights. Norm Gauthier, one of the members of the members of Le Chevaliers de Colomb #10602,
was one of the hard-working kitchen crew. Here he is making sure that the
supplies are kept fresh for visitors during the morning. |
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PAROISSE STE-MARGUERITE-D'YOUVILLE
SPAGHETTI DINNER DRAWS A CROWD OF CLOSE TO 500 |
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PERE DENIS SAVIGNAC, on the left front of the photo, enjoys a hearty
spaghetti dinner with some of the parishioners of PAROISSE STE-MARGUERITE-D'YOUVILLE
during the Annual Chevaliers de Colomb Spaghetti Dinner which was held on
Sunday, October 29, 2006. Sitting beside PERE SAVIGNAC is long-time Montreal
Canadian's fan, Pat Labelle. He and PERE SAVIGNAC had some great debates
during the dinner since PERE SAVIGNAC is a die-hard fan of the Toronto Maple
Leafs. Beside Pat is Ghislaine Deschesne who was staying out of the hockey
debate. This is always a popular event for the parish and
as usual close to 500 people took advantage of the excellent dinner
opportunity. |
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PAROISSE STE-MARGUERITE-D'YOUVILLE is situated in Val Therese, on Highway 69
North. The parish serves over 600 families from Val Therese, Val Caron and
McCrea Heights.
In addition to the Spaghetti Dinner, the Chevaliers de Colomb #10602 also
sponsors a Sunday Brunch on the first Sunday of every month. The next Sunday
Brunch will be held on November 5 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Adults are
only $5; children between the ages of 5 and 13, $3; and children under the
age of five free. The Sunday Brunch is open to everyone in the community, so
drop in if you happen to be in the neighbourhood. |
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Valley Pentecostal
Church Provides Local Food Banks With Windfall That Will Go A Long Way
To Help Those In Need This Year |
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Anne Unwin, on the far left, could hardly contain her joy and appreciation
when she met Pastor Steve Gudrie and his family at the Valley Pentecostal
Church in Hanmer this past week. Pastor Steve is shown standing at the back with
his wife, Esther and their children, Curtis (in the red) and Trevor. The
group is standing in front of sixteen skids of food that happened to find
their way to the basement of the church. The shipment was recently received by the Valley
Pentecostal Church for distribution to area food banks.
The Gudries arrived in Hanmer almost a year ago and have been extremely
active in the community. Curtis is the Youth Pastor at the church and is
doing remarkable work with young people of all denominations in the area.
Trevor, is entering Grade 9 at Confederation Secondary School and will be
playing on the Line with the Confederation Secondary School Varsity Football
Chargers this
year. In fact, it is a total family affair since both Steve and Curtis are
assistant coaches with the team.
The Good Neighbours Valley East Food Bank, opened its doors to the public
in January 1994 when the Valley East Fire Department moved to the new
fire hall on Highway 69N. Since then, Anne Unwin, Chair of the
Good Neighbours Valley East Food Bank Board of Directors, has dedicated
her life to providing emergency assistance to people from all walks of
life and from all age groups.
So when Pastor Steve showed her the boxes and boxes of food that his
parish had arranged to have delivered to Valley Pentecostal, she was
thrilled. Pastor Steve knows someone in Southern Ontario who picks up
surplus food from a variety of places in the south. This food is then given
free of charge to distribution points who will see to it that it gets into
the hands of the needy. About three or four times a year, Valley Pentecostal
Church expects to receive similar shipments which will then be distributed
to local food banks and organizations for use in helping their clients.
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Anne selected as much food as she could handle and it was loaded into the Valley East Food Bank Van and then transported
to the Good Neighbours Food Bank.
As Pastor Steve pointed out, "We are glad to help out in any way we
can. It is always one of our goals to become as actively involved in the
community as possible in order to help improve the quality of life of our
neighbours. This is our mission and it should be the mission of all people.
When our parish found out that all we had to do was pay for the shipping of
the food in order to get it here, we decided that this was a great investment
to make for our community. We
are extremely happy to work with Anne and all of the other Food Banks in the
area to make sure that the food gets into the hands of those who need it the
most."
With over 100 people being served through the Good Neighbours Food Bank each month,
Anne Unwin states that many volunteers find it difficult to understand how
in a country like Canada there can be so many people in need. Food Banks
have become part of a community support network that includes other
organizations such as the churches, the Lion's Club, the Knights of Columbus
and the Kin Club of Valley East. When a person is having a difficult time in
life, and if that person cannot get support from family members, then
someone has to be there to help out.
While the
Food Bank is intended to be a short term emergency assistance, there are
some who are on disability pensions or on low company pensions who find it
almost impossible to get through the last couple of weeks of the month until
their cheques come in. That is why Good Neighbours decided to open during
the last two Wednesdays every month just in case someone is in need of a few days of
food to get over the difficult days.
Anne finds that the most important challenge for anyone coming to the
food bank is that many find it very humiliating and their pride is terribly
hurt. However, the staff is well experienced to help clients overcome their
feelings and to understand that everyone needs support sometimes. That is
why we are a community.
Anne is happy to help the people who come to the Good Neighbours Food
Bank. But she worries about the people who have not come up with enough
courage to reach out for their assistance. She fears that there are many
homes where food is scarce and pride is keeping them away. If you know of
anyone who needs their assistance, please give Anne a call and find out how
help can be offered. Anne can be reached at 566-1283. You can also visit
their web site by clicking
here>>>>
If you would like to contact the Valley East Pentecostal Church, please
ask to speak to Esther at 969-7940. |
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