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- Young Family Wins $500 Gift
Certificates In December Mystery Shopper
Contest at Cousin Vinny's
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MAGIC
HANDS AT
MOUNT
MAUNGANUI
by
Tracy Pepper |
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Tracy Pepper is a young
lady who grew up in Farmdale, on
Morrie Court
. She now
lives in
New
Zealand
in a beach
town called
Mount
Maunganui
where she has opened up a Massage Therapy Practice in her backyard
garden.
Tracy
is writing a book about her battle with cancer. I want to thank
Tracy
for sharing this story
with us and for providing each and every one of us with a truly
inspirational and remarkable story. Let me warn you that you may want to
have a box of Kleenex handy if you read this whole story and go to the link
below:
HAPPY
25TH LIFE-IVERSARY TO ME...by Tracy Pepper
Today
is May 3rd. I can never forget this day. In some ways it's more important
than my birthday. Life as I knew it changed on
May 3rd, 1985
. Twenty five years ago,
on this day, I was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
My life leading up to that day was fairly ordinary. I was the youngest of
five children in a family that was pretty self absorbed. My mom raised us
all solo. I only saw my dad once a year when he was passing through to see
his mates and if I was lucky he'd take me out for breakfast at a dingy old
diner where one of his girlfriends worked. I had a free and easy childhood
with very few rules or boundaries. I was virtually invisible. I could do
what I wanted. I came and went as I pleased. No one seemed to notice if I
wasn't around. In fact, everyone seemed happier when I was away.
Then on May 3rd, I made my mark. I secured my place on the family map... or
so I thought. Surely they'd notice me. Surely they'd love me. Surely they'd
talk to me. Surely they'd include me.
I'll never forget that day or the year that followed. I had been suffering
from stomach pains for months - years even. They were worse at night and I'd
wake up crying. I learned that when I woke others up, they got grumpy... so
I'd quietly sneak into my mother's room and lie at the end of her water bed
on my tummy. The warmth of the water bed soothed my pain. Occasionally when
I complained at breakfast that I felt sick and I couldn't eat anything, my
mom would take me to the doctor. I was diagnosed with growing pains and a
school phobia which didn't really make sense since I was really tiny and I
absolutely loved school.
On May 1st I was in school doubled over with pain. I couldn't stand up, the
pain in my stomach was so intense. My teacher, Mrs. Labelle rang my mother to come pick me up. We went
straight to the doctor who happened to be away that day so we saw another
doctor. He thought it might be appendicitis and told us to go straight to
the hospital. CLICK
HERE FOR THE REST OF THE STORY
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A
SPECIAL WISH TO ALL MOTHERS
Submitted by Shirley Baxter |
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Since
this
Sunday,
May 9, 2010
is Mother's Day, I want to wish a very Happy Mother's Day to all mothers,
grandmothers and great-grandmothers who receive this weekly newsletter. I
would also like to thank my good friend, Shirley Baxter, for sending me the
following little story that is truly appropriate as we reflect upon the
important role mothers have in making a difference in the life of their
children. Take time to read this little story and please forward this email
to all of your friends, especially those friends who are mothers.
Invisible
Mother......
It all began
to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the
way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and
ask to be taken to the store.
Inside I'm
thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'
Obviously,
not.
No one can see
if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor,
or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.
I'm invisible.
The invisible Mom . Some days I am only a pair of hands,
nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?
Some days I'm
not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a
clock to ask, ' What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What
number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around
5:30
,
please.'
I was certain
that these were the hands that once held books and the
eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude -
but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen
again.. She's going; she's going; she is gone!
One night, a
group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a
friend from
England
..
Janice had
just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on
and on about the hotel she stayed in.
I was sitting
there, looking around at the others all put together so
well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself.
I was feeling
pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a
beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'
It was a book
on the great cathedrals of
Europe
.
I wasn't
exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:
'To My Dear
Friend, with admiration for the greatness of what you are
building when no one sees.'
In the days
ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would
discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after
which I could pattern my work:
No one can say
who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of
their names.
These builders
gave their whole lives for a work they would never see
finished.
They made
great sacrifices and expected no credit.
The passion of
their building was fuelled by their faith that the eyes of
God saw everything.
A legendary
story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the
cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny
bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are
you spending so
much time carving that bird into a beam that will be
covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied,
Because God
sees'
I closed the
book, feeling the missing piece fall into place.
It was almost
as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you. I see the
sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act
of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've
baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a
great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'
At times, my
invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a
disease that is erasing my life.
It is the cure
for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the
antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.
I keep the
right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As
one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see
finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.
The writer of
the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could
ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to
sacrifice to that degree.
When I really
think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend
he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4
in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a
turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That
would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him
to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his
friend, to add, 'you're going to love it there.'
As mothers, we
are building great cathedrals.. We cannot be seen if
we're doing it right.
And one day,
it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at
what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world
by the sacrifices of invisible women.
Great Job,
MOM!"
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Parents & Children Have
Until The End of March To Register For Minor Soccer At the Hanmer
Valley Shopping Centre |
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MINOR SOCCER
REGISTRATION SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED AT THE HANMER VALLEY SHOPPING CENTRE
Fridays
6 to 9 p.m. |
Saturdays
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
February 26 |
February 27 |
March 5 |
March 6 |
March 26 |
March 27 |
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The Valley East Soccer Club held their first weekend of
registrations at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre on February
26 and 27. This was the earliest that the club has ever held
registrations so the turn-out was not as busy as usual for the
first nights of registration.
The club expects a large crowd to register the
weekend of March 5 and 6 so parents who want to sign up their
children should come early.
The club is expecting to register about 1800
children and adults in their program for the summer of 2010,
making it still one of the largest minor soccer associations
in the north. |
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Members
of Confederation's Evolutionary Band Give Evidence Of How
Music Program Prepares One For Life's Challenges |
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Veronica Ranger (Grade
12) |
Kayla O'Hearon (Grade 12)
Jasmine Wagg (Grade 11) |
Three
members of Confederation Secondary School's Evolutionary Band
were the special guests on THE LEARNING CLINIC on Monday,
February 15, 2010 during the 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. time slot.
Veronica Ranger, currently attending the "Victory
Lap" in Grade 12 (for those of you who may not be
familiar with that term, she has already graduated but has
chosen to return for a 5th year to add some courses to her
transcript) is one of the Lead Singers with the band and also
does background vocals for some of the songs. She has been a
band member for all five years and is also able to play the
trumpet, sax and trombone. Kayla O'Hearon, also in Grade 12,
has been with the band for all four years of high school and
is in her 3rd year playing the guitar. She spent her first
year with the stage crew. Jasmine Wagg, a Grade 11 student, is
in her 3rd year with the band. She started out with the stage
crew and has now been a bass player with the band for the past
two years. During the show the girls discussed many of the transferable
skills that they have developed as members of the band. They
rehearse four nights a week for two hours after school in
preparation for a performance tour which begins some time in
March. The tour includes an out-of-town trip where they put on
several performances for a variety of audiences.
The girls also explained that the entire band will be out
looking for pledges for their annual "Play-a-thon"
which will be held at the school in the "sanctuary"
on Saturday, February 20, 2010. The band needs to raise about
$140 per member in order to cover the expenses of performing
on tour this season. Therefore, if you are approached by any
member of the band, please give them your support. This is a
music program that is doing wonders for the overall
development of each and every member of Evolutionary.
If you are interested in
finding out how to download the radio show, click
here for the instructions >>>>
FACTS ABOUT EVOLUTIONARY BAND
The
following information has been provided by Mr. Norm McIntosh,
Director of Evolutionary Band and a Music teacher at
Confederation Secondary School.
In its 30th year of existence, Evolutionary is
located at
Confederation
Secondary School.
Evolutionary is a 24 piece rock band which includes 4
vocalists, a 7 piece rhythm section, 3 trumpets, 4 trombones,
2 alto saxes and 4 tenor saxes and is supported by a 16 member
stage crew.
Evolutionary is the musical ambassador for Action Sudbury.
They are
Northern Ontario
’s official No Drinking and Driving Band. At every
performance they distribute Contracts for Life (approx. 6000
per year). Evolutionary participate in community events
including the Rainbow School Board’s ‘Reading Rocks’
program.
Band members range in age from 13 to 19 years old and must
complete an audition and interview annually in order to be
earn a place in the band. Successful applicants sign a
year-long contract. Students in Evolutionary receive a high
school music credit for their participation. All students who
participate in this program are expected to carry a full
timetable and to maintain passing grades in their other
subjects.
Evolutionary is completely self-supporting. All expenses
for transportation, and the purchase and repair of musical
instruments and equipment are covered by student fund-raising
and sponsorship. The band rehearses 4 nights a week from
September to March.
Evolutionary tours from March until June, performing in
front of over 8,000 students per year. Venues include other
schools, public events and opening for professional acts.
Performances include a high energy, choreographed show with an
exciting light display including lasers, strobes, smoke
machines, intelligent lighting and orbitrons. Shows are
approximately 75 minutes in length and include 16 songs
including a selection of top 40 hits such as Shinedown,
Hinder, Green Day, 3 Days Grace, Rolling
Stones, Queen, Bryan Adams, AC/DC, Foo Fighters, Linkin Park,
Nickleback, Kings of Leon.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE RECENT HISTORY
OF THE BAND
2009 - 3 Days Grace attends a Fall
rehearsal, invites EVO to their concert
- Zack Werner (Canadian Idol Judge) brings
a film crew north to see Evolutionary
- Jake Gold (Canadian Idol judge) attends
Mother’s Day Concert
2008
-Rock band, Hedley, surprises Evolutionary by dropping
into their rehearsal, invites EVO to
their concert
- Evolutionary was recognized
as Junior Citizens of the Year at the Community Builders
Awards of Excellence for the City of Greater
Sudbury
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Evolutionary completes “House Party” video recorded
at Ostara Studios, May 2008
2007 - Recording artist, Suzie McNeil (Rockstar
INXS) gigs with Evolutionary at a rehearsal
- Evolutionary is the subject of
a full length documentary, “Face the Music”
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Evolutionary sets the Guinness World Record for
“Deepest Concert Underground” at CVRD Inco’s North
Mine, 3400’ level
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Denise Donlon, founder of Much More Music, attends an
Evolutionary concert in
Toronto
- The
Tragically Hip drop
in on an Evolutionary rehearsal, Keshia Chante
attends EVO concert
2006 -EMI Music Co. President, Deane
Cameron, and CARAS
Director of Music Education, Srinka
Wallia attend an Evolutionary tour concert in Maple,
Ontario
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Recording artist and Juno nominee, Skye Sweetnam attends
Evolutionary’s Reading Rocks concert
- The Trews drop on
the band during sound checks and jam with them
2005 -Notable music industry professional, Bob Ezrin,
record producer of Pink Floyd The
Wall/Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee attends Night
Concert
-State-of-the-art recording studio is
officially unveiled at
Confederation
Secondary School
2002 -Evolutionary receives $10,000 from
Junos/CARAS for new musical equipment and appearS with
recording group, Sloan, on a taped segment on the Juno
Awards
2001 - Mike McCarty, president of EMI
Music Publishing Canada, attends an
Evolutionary concert
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FOR
A PHOTO STORY OF AN OUTDOOR CONCERT PERFORMED BY
EVOLUTIONARY AT THE HANMER VALLEY SHOPPING CENTRE
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Skating
Excursions With Class Provide Children, Parents and Grandparents With
An Opportunity For Fun And Exercise |
Hailee (5), an S.K. student at Ecole Catholique Elementaire Jean
Paul II, and her father, Ryan, have a chance to skate with the class
during "Skating Day" at the Ray Plourde Arena in Val Caron. |
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There is nothing like dozens of young children
skating on the ice, especially when many of them are still
learning how to balance themselves on these "blades of
steel". The scene at Val Caron's Ray Plourde Arena was
chaotic at best, but everyone truly enjoyed themselves. The
younger boys and girls were in good hands as many parents and
grandparents donned the skates as well and offered their
encouragement. Students from older grades were also on the ice
to help with the children from the younger grades. |
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CAW - LOCAL 598
RATIFY THREE-YEAR AGREEMENT WITH XSTRATA WITH 93% ACCEPTANCE VOTE |
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GREATER
SUDBURY AREA WELCOMES AGREEMENT AS A SIGN OF HOPE FOR STEELWORKERS |
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It was a long hard marathon session, but at approximately 5:00 a.m., Monday, February 1, 2010, there was a huge sigh of relief felt
across the Greater Sudbury Area as the bargaining teams representing
Xstrata Nickel and CAW/Mine Mill Local 598 signed a tentative agreement
for a new Collective Agreement, averting strike action by the membership. On
Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 876 of the 1080 members of Sudbury Mine, Mill & Smelter Workers Union, Local 598/CAW
voted to accept the agreement with an overwhelming 93% margin. A total of
813 voted yes while only 63 voted no.
The main details of the agreement included:
- a $2,500 signing bonus to all active and laid off members;
- a wage increase of $0.20 per hour in the third year of the contract;
- a $0.27 cola fold in from the previous contract and the COLA rolled
into wages each year;
- a retirement incentive of $10,000 per employee for eligible
employees who voluntarily elect to retire with an unreduced pension
during the life of the agreement;
- a 30 and out plan with a $3,450 monthly pension;
- several benefit improvements, including up to $1,000 in laser eye
surgery;
- a $500 payment to low income pensioners and widows
Also included in the agreement is a Nickel performance bonus in
addition to a modified existing nickel bonus system (based on a higher
floor price).
There were several other staffing provisions in the agreement,
including a guarantee that if a person was promoted to a staff position,
he would maintain all of his seniority rights in production &
maintenance for up to two years.
Both sides are very pleased with the results of the negotiations which
were punctuated by a positive communication atmosphere throughout. It was
clear that both sides wanted an agreement.
Now the city waits for Vale Inco and the Steelworkers to settle their
dispute. |
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Larry
Berrio Co-Hosts THE LEARNING CLINIC Three-Hour Live Talk Radio Show With Robert Kirwan
on February 8, 2010 |
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Larry
Berrio, a resident of Valley East and who is recognized as one
of Sudbury's most exciting performers in the music industry,
shown in front of his decorated truck on the right, was the co-host of a special 3-hour live
talk radio show on Laurentian University's CKLU 96.7 FM on
February 8, 2010. The
program is called THE
LEARNING CLINIC and is on every Monday from 5 p.m. to 8
p.m. It is hosted and produced by Robert Kirwan, Publisher of
Valley East Today and owner of The
Greater Sudbury Learning Clinic, his private practice as
an Education, Training and Career Planning Consultant. Kirwan
is shown on the left.
Berrio welcomed the opportunity to do the show with Kirwan,
only two days after the official launch of his new video,
"Rock Town", which was released during a grand
ceremony at Science North on February 5, 2010. The launch was
attended by 350 people, all who were there to celebrate the
launch of the video ROCK TOWN which was dedicated to all
miners and people working in the mining industry.
Kirwan first met Larry Berrio in June 1997, just before he
released his very first CD, "Living A Dream"
which was the start of his career as country music
entertainer. Before that, Larry was the owner of a company
called "Larry's Graphics". Music was a part-time job
until he released "Living A Dream". A
copy of The Vision Paper which carried the article, can be
found at the end of this article.
During
the radio show, Larry Berrio shared his life story with
listeners and explained what young people can expect if they
want to follow his path in the entertainment industry. THE
LEARNING CLINIC is a program that provides students and
parents with information that may help them in making
important life decisions with respect to education and career
development. In addition to bringing in groups of students
from area secondary schools, Kirwan also invites people such
as Larry Berrio to appear on the show to talk about some of
the challenges and offer some suggestions regarding their own
careers.
During the show on Monday, February 8, 2010, Larry Berrio
talked about how his new video was produced, explaining how he
was able to secure funding from supportive people in the
Greater Sudbury Area. He also played his hit song, "Rock
Town", and explained the story behind that recording.
Rock Town is expected to be extremely popular with the over 2
million people across the country who are involved in the
mining industry.
Berrio also announced that he will be the
"headliner" at the Knights of Columbus Country Fair
which is held every July at the K of C fair grounds in Hanmer.
For now, he will be doing an extensive "radio tour"
across the country promoting his CD, RPM.
Jeff Sheppard, Larry's manager who resides in Kitchener,
was also called during the show. He explained some of the
plans that are in place for the spring and summer as they get
ready for a major awards show that Larry will be playing at
this summer. The show will be broadcast across the country and
will give Berrio the exposure he needs to take his career
"over the top".
Larry Berrio has been compared by many as a "younger
Garth Brooks". He has a passion for entertaining live at
concerts and outdoor festivals, and still gets a rush when he
has a chance to play in one of the country bars in Sudbury or
across the country. "I love being close to the fans, and
you really get close to them in a bar. The fans just love
being able to talk to Larry following the show and he always
finds time to speak to them and make them feel special. Larry
also explained why he deliberately selected ten songs for his
new CD that are all fast-paced. He stated that he wanted to be
able to perform every one of his songs live on stage. He said
that when people come out to a show they want to see a
high-energy entertainer. They don't come out for slow songs.
Larry
gives a lot of credit for his success in the music business to
his parents, Oliver and Judy Barriault, of Val Caron. Oliver
was interviewed over the phone during the show and expressed
his pride in what his son has been able to do. Oliver worked
his entire career with Inco, so he was especially thrilled
when Rock Town came out. "Larry's song really captures
what it means to be a miner. There is nothing like the camaraderie
you find with a group of miners. It is something that this
city was built upon and it is what newcomers notice the most.
The people here care for each other and welcome you with open
arms."
If you missed the show, you can download the entire three
hours by going to the archive section of www.cklu.ca
Select February 8 from the calendar and put in the starting
time as 17:15 ( which is 5:15 p.m. using the 24 hour clock).
Put 180 minutes as the duration and save the show as an mp3
file on your computer. You can then play it with your media
player.
It has been a long, hard road for the past 12 years for
Larry Berrio. He now has his second CD under his belt, a
fantastic video, and has also produced the theme song for a
national hunting show called, "In The Rough" which
is carried by Global every Sunday morning. The theme song of
the same name is also on his new CD, RPM.
If you want to find out more about Larry Berrio, visit his
web site at www.larryberrio.com
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ARTICLE ON LARRY BERRIO FROM
JUNE 4, 1997
Written in The Vision Paper by Robert Kirwan |
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Hospice
Palliative Care Volunteer Training Offers Local Residents A Chance
To Take Part In A Rewarding Experience
Jeannette Carrier, Volunteer Coordinator of Warmhearts Palliative
Caregivers of Sudbury/Manitoulin, and one of her volunteers, Jean
Manuael, were seen at area malls recently selling raffle tickets on
a beautiful Valentine Sweetheart Basket. Here they are shown at the
Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre.
They were also letting the public know about the work that the
members of the Sudbury/Manitoulin Palliative Caregivers do in the
community. They do a lot of fund-raising and public awareness, but
their main mission is to improve the quality of life for people who
are going through end-of-life challenges, regardless of illness. You can find out about their work by visiting
the web site at www.warmhearts.ca
If you are interested in working with the Sudbury/Manitoulin
Palliative Caregivers, you can take part in a 30 hour training
course which starts on and April 9 (French) and April 16, 2010
(English). |
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Valley East Facebook Group Growing In Popularity As
Hundreds Of Current & Former Residents Use The Internet To Keep In
Touch
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The
popular social network site, Facebook, now has a special group
section that will allow current and former residents of Valley East
to keep in touch with a click of a mouse. Valley East is a group
that was created during the second week of January and had grown to
over 700 members by February 9.
Each day more and more people are joining up as the word spreads
and "friends" of "friends" are invited to join.
The Valley East Today Online Newspaper is also being distributed to
members of the new group which will make this site even more
valuable, especially to those who now live in far away places.
For example, one of the members is Sandra Umney, shown in the
photo on the right, who many of you will remember as Sandra
Laliberte. Sandra graduated from St. Anne School in Hanmer in 1979
and is now teaching english in a secondary school in the UK. Sandra
discovered her former teacher, Robert Kirwan, through Facebook after
being out of touch for over thirty years. Many local residents
will remember Sandra and now have a chance to communicate with her
through the Facebook group.
If you would like to become a member of that group, just go to
the top right hand side of this page and click on the Valley East
Face Book Group button, or click on the button below. If you are not currently a member of
Facebook, you will have to join. There is no cost to join Facebook
and it will definitely be something that will have you wondering why
you didn't join a long time ago.
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Student Group
Plans On Promoting Safe Driving All Year Long |
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If you would like to read hundreds of stories
that have been published over the years on Valley East Today,
visit the Living History Archives by clicking on the button
below. Stories go back for up to six or seven years with
plenty of photos that will bring back memories. |
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NEWS
& VIEWS is a special section of Valley East Today that
will be devoted to summarizing events and issues that will
have a major impact on our community. We do not intend to make
this a "Current Events Section" since that is best
left up to daily and weekly news publications. |
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READERS’ FORUM has been created as a special
section of Valley East Today where readers can express their
opinions on any topic they wish or pose questions to the
editor and other readers. We hope that this section will
result in a healthy exchange of opinions from local residents
on issues that they find important. If you wish to participate in READERS’ FORUM, all
you have to do is send an email to the editor. Click on the
box above to enter.
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Austin
Powell and Amanda McCutcheon, both Grade 11 students at
Confederation Secondary School, were special guests on The
Learning Clinic Radio Show, hosted by Robert Kirwan on
Laurentian University's CKLU 96.7 FM in December. The two are members of the Ontario
Students Against Impaired Driving Group from Confederation
Secondary School and were representing over 40 fellow students
who have joined the group which was started by Teacher Supervisor,
Ashleigh McBain in the fall of 2009. During the show they spoke
about how it was the death of three young teenagers in a
tragic accident in Valley East on June 21, 2009. Steven
Philippe (16) and Jazmine Houle (15), who both attended
Confederation secondary school, were walking along the side of
Hwy 69N in Hanmer with their friend, Caitlin Jelley (15), when
all three were killed by an impaired driver. Students at the
school have shown tremendous support for the activities being
organized by the OSAID group as the students try to raise
awareness among community members of the need for people to be
more sensible when it comes to driving while being impaired in
any way. They stated that while alcohol is often the root
cause of accidents where impairment is a factor, cell phones,
loud passengers, medication, and a long list of other things
that can reduce one's ability to focus on driving.The purpose of OSAID is to make students aware of the choices they make
when drinking and to make responsible decisions. The students from
Confederation will be raising money all year long to send representatives
to a provincial conference in Toronto on the first weekend of May 2010.
There they will take part in developing leadership skills and be trained
in approaching peers and the community with the issues and seriousness of
impaired driving. |
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Mother of Two Young Children
Decides To Venture Forth Into The World of Business In Search of a
More Balanced Lifestyle |
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Melanie
Giroux, a mother of two young children, Caleb (4) and Noah (6 months) has
been working for almost ten years. She graduated with a diploma in Social
Work from Collage Boreal and subsequently worked in that field for a
couple of years. For the past seven years she has been working as an
Educational Assistant for one of the local school boards. During that
time, her and her husband, Dan, have enjoyed life raising their two
children in Valley East, where both her and Dan were born and raised.
Now, Melanie and Dan want more from life. They want to enjoy their
children and long for a more balanced lifestyle. Hence, Melanie has
decided to explore some options for starting a home-based business so that
she can help contribute to the family income and still be available for
her children as they grow up.
On January 30, 2010, Melanie set up a display at the Hanmer Valley
Shopping Centre to see if there is a need for a Party Planning Service in
Valley East. Her party planning services would involve all aspects of
planning a party from invitations to decorations to entertainment. Types
of parties planned would include birthday parties, theme parties,
anniversaries, Christmas parties, baptism/christening, graduations, etc.
She would also plan children's parties that would include invitations,
loot bags, balloons, cutlery and plates, napkins, games and/or craft
projects.
As part of her survey, Melanie interviewed shoppers to find out if such
a business venture would be viable and to determine how much people would
pay for these services. Whether Melanie starts up the party planning
service or not will be decided by the feedback she receives from her
surveys. However, what Melanie has decided is that she definitely wants to
start her own business. She just needs to decide what that business will
involve. You can download a copy of the survey by clicking
here>>>>. You can also call Melanie at (705)
969-8251 for more information.
Melanie
was also be the special guest on THE LEARNING CLINIC, a live
talk radio show that is hosted by Robert Kirwan on CKLU 96.7 FM every
Monday evening from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. THE LEARNING CLINIC is a show that
deals with education and career development. Melanie appeared on the show
on Monday, February 1, 2010 from about 6:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. She shared her
story about how people her age are now beginning to consider small
business start-ups as a viable option to working as an employee for the
rest of their life. She moved to Valley East from Timmins at the age of 2
and plans on raising her children her as well. After graduating from Ecole
Secondaire Catholique l'Horizon in Val Caron, Melanie obtained a Diploma
in Social Work from Collage Boreal and a Youth and Child Worker Diploma
afterwards. She has spent the past six or seven years working as an
Education Assistant and will continue to do so after her maternity leave
ends. Her goal is to set up a home-based business on a part-time basis and
eventually build it up to the point where she may be able to work
part-time or devote full-time to the business. If you happen to miss the live broadcast of the show,
you can go to the web site at www.thelearningclinic.ca
and find out how you can download the entire show onto your own
computer.
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Hanmer
Valley Shopping Centre Continues To Provide Central Communication
Site For Community |
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The community bulletin boards in the east wing of the
mall are filled with notices, posters and information in general
about organizations, schools and churches. Shoppers stop by
frequently to read the notices. |
Local schools are always invited to set up information
display exhibits in the hallways. Here Ecole Notre Dame lets the
public know about their kindergarten registrations in the spring. |
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Georgette Bergeron Seeks Help From
Local Residents To Help Rebuild Mission In Haiti Following
Devastating Earthquake
If You Want To Help Georgette, Read The Article
Below and Contact Her For Information. |
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Georgette Bergeron is well known in Valley East as the President of the Cercle
Missionnaire de la Vallee, which was established in 1991 by a group of
persons in the Valley who had the desire to help the less fortunate not
only in the region, but also in Haiti. Since that time, Cercle
Missionnaire de la Vallee has been sending supplies to Sister Therese
Lamoureux m.c.r. at Cardinal Leger Hospital in Sigueneau, Haiti. She in
turn has been distributing the goods to those in need to help with
schools, hospitals, housewives and their families, crafts-men and
crafts-women and gardeners just to name a few. Funds raised have paid for
a number of houses or their repairs, and for some wells. Unfortunately,
Sigueneau is located just 30 km to the west of Port-au-Prince, and was hit
hard by the recent earthquake. The convent, hospital and warehouse which
was used to store the goods shipped to the mission were all destroyed and
must now be rebuilt. Georgette has a full shipment ready to be sent once
the word is given that the sisters will be ready to receive it. Now, what
is needed most are donations of money to help reconstruct the facilities
and give the less fortunate hope in this desperate time.
The
earthquake in Haiti has brought world-wide attention onto the plight of
Haitians. However, Georgette is quick to point out that there were major
problems even before the earthquake hit. She stated that Haiti is not only
the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere but it is also the only one
that falls into the category of a "third-world country". Haiti
is also the second most food insecure country in the world. Remember that
this was all before the earthquake.
Haiti has a population of 10,000,000. Things are so bad that life
expectancy is only 49 years, and a child born in Haiti has a 21% chance of
dying before his/her 40th birthday. 59% of the people are illiterate and
over 500,000 children have no school to attend. In addition, over 300,000
children are forced into slavery. 78% of the population has a yearly
salary of less than $730 and only 28% of the population has access to safe
drinking water with 46% of the population being considered as
undernourished. The entire country has only 60,000 telephone lines for a
population of over 10,000,000. This means that there are only 3 phones for
every 500 Haitians. With respect to crime, consider that the National
Penitentiary was built to hold 400 prisoners. However, there are 3330
prisoners in the facility, and 90% of the prisoners have not had a trial.
This is a country that needs help. If you wish to make a donation to
help Georgette and the Cercle Missionnaire de la Vallee help the Haitians,
give her a call at 969-2192 and she will tell you how you can be of
assistance.
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Visit
hundreds of articles that have been published in Valley
East Today |
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