Remembering Terry Fox
July 19th 2010Below is a request from the Terry Fox Foundation, for your memories of his historic run.
I’ll share mine here. My parents were hosting some of our relatives from Germany at their house in the country north of Georgetown. I was driving to my parents house, on the stretch of Highway 7 between Georgetown and Acton, when I saw flashing lights approaching me, people running on the shoulder on the other side of the road, carrying buckets to hold cash contributions, and I knew that something special was going on. I pulled over to the side of the road and then I saw him. Terry Fox in white T shirt and shorts, running with that unmistakable hopeful hop, swinging his artificial leg. Of course I burst into tears. When his procession passed, I drove slowly to my parents’ house.
“What’s the matter?” asked my ever-observant mother.
“I just saw Terry Fox,” I said, and the tears ran again.
“Who is that?” asked my German aunt and uncle. And my parents explained who Terry Fox was, and my relatives later went back to Germany with the knowledge of him and the impact he had on Canadians and perhaps the rest of the world.
And the tears are flowing even now as I write this, a few decades later.
Here’s what the Terry Fox Foundation wants:
It does not seem possible that the story of Terry Fox is now 30 years old, nor that we are all 30 years older since we first heard it. In preparation for the 30th Anniversary of The Marathon of Hope, the Ontario Office of The Terry Fox Foundation is asking individuals who met or saw Terry during his visit to your community to share their stories with us. Terry touched the lives of many people across the country in the summer of 1980. We would love to hear these stories and share them with the rest of Canada on our website, Facebook, and Twitter pages.
Please email or write your “I Remember Terry” (500 words or less) and fax it to the attention of Jessica at 416-924-6597 or email it to ontario2@terryfoxrun.org. We look forward to creating a narrative that reflects Canadians’ relationship with Terry Fox.
The 30th Annual Terry Fox Run is Sunday September 19th. Please join us as we work together to outrun cancer.
Are you going to share your memories? Is there someone else whose challenge with illness has moved you?
Dig In and Discover Archaeology at Crawford Lake
July 07th 2010This looks like a pretty cool activity for people of any age:
The past comes alive at Crawford Lake Conservation Area, at the popular Dig In and Discover Archaeology event on July 18 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. for a great day of discovery and exploration into the past.
Visit with staff in the Turtle Clan Longhouse for a demonstration of traditional fire starting techniques and storytelling. Visitors can explore the Iroquoian village, view fascinating videos, and make a clay pot to take home. You can also participate in a discovery hunt and win a great prize.
Take part in a simulated dig at the Crawford Lake site. Learn how and why archaeologists do what they do and find out more about fascinating artifacts and Ontario’s First Nations.
After visiting the village take a hike through Crawford Lake’s beautiful woodlands and learn more about the history of the area.
Finally, stop by the Giftshop and take home a unique item as a souvenir of this great event. Feel good about your purchases as all funds stay in the park to help support conservation!
Crawford Lake Conservation Area is located on the corner of Conservation Road (formerly Steeles Avenue) and Guelph Line, 5 km south of Hwy 401 or 15 km north of the QEW. Regular park admission fees apply for this special event and kids ages four and under are free! There’s more information online or by calling Crawford Lake at (905) 854-0234.
To learn more about the recreation activities at all of Conservation Halton’s parks, or any of the special events taking place, visit their website and go to the Parks and Recreation section.
Conservation Halton is the community-based environmental agency that protects, restores and manages the natural resources in its watershed. The organization has staff that includes ecologists, land-use planners, engineers, foresters and educators, along with a network of volunteers, who are guided by a board of directors comprised of municipally elected and appointed citizens. Conservation Halton is recognized for its stewardship of creeks, forests and Niagara Escarpment lands through science-based programs and services.
Have you been to Crawford Lake and experienced the native village? What do you think of it?
For more about Crawford Lake, see our feature article “Maple Moon: Sugar Making on the Escarpment 600 Years Ago.” For a free trial issue of Escarpment Views, just contact us.
Habitat for Humanity Halton Supports Haiti Relief Efforts
January 20th 2010We’re happy to pass on this news about Habitat for Humanity Halton (HFHH) and their work in Haiti. They want to emphasize that donations from individuals until February 12 will be matched by the Canadian Government.
HFHH will provide support to the disaster response efforts of Habitat for Humanity International to help low-income Haitian earthquake victims with immediate and long-term shelter solutions. Donations to the Habitat fund from individual Canadians will be matched by the Canadian government up to February 12.
“Habitat for Humanity will mobilize all available resources to address shelter solutions for low-income families affected by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti,” said Torre Nelson, area vice president of Habitat for Humanity International’s Latin America and Caribbean office.
Habitat’s early response to the earthquake is threefold, with the extent of the interventions depending on the amount of support that they are able to mobilize:
1) Cleanup: This involves mobilizing people to clear the way for shelter construction and home rehabilitation;
2) Shelter Kits: Habitat will distribute building materials and tools in shelter kits; and,
3) Transitional Shelter: Transitional housing can be built quickly and provide permanent base structures that can be expanded over time. These shelters will include the provision of water and sanitation, and will include hurricane- and earthquake-resistant features.
Consistent with the Habitat capacity-building approach of giving a “hand-up, not a hand out,” Habitat International’s approach will engage local residents in the rebuilding process.
“I feel privileged to have joined an organization that focuses on helping the 6.5% of Halton residents who live in poverty, while also helping our community respond to the gut-wrenching need that we all feel to help Haiti at this time of trauma,” said Anne Swarbrick, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity Halton.
Habitat for Humanity has been at work in Haiti for 26 years and will use its local expertise and mobilize resources as part of the rebuilding efforts. Habitat has provided more than 2,000 Haitian families with housing solutions through a variety of initiatives including new home construction, developing local construction skills, and disaster mitigation. Habitat works in coordination with community and government agencies.
To make a donation that will be matched by the Canadian government up to February 12, or to get more information about the work being done by Habitat for Humanity in Haiti, visit www.habitathalton.ca – or visit ReStore at 1800 Appleby Line, Burlington.
About Habitat for Humanity Halton
Habitat for Humanity Halton is a community-based, non-profit organization working for a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live. Founded in 1999, it is a member of Habitat for Humanity Canada, and part of a worldwide network that spans 100 countries. With 10 homes completed and three more currently underway, Habitat Halton provides low income families with a hand up to home ownership to break the cycle of poverty.
For more information, visit: www.habitathalton.ca
About Habitat for Humanity Canada
Habitat for Humanity Canada is a national, non-profit, faith-based organization working for a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live. Their mission is to mobilize volunteers and community partners in building affordable housing and promoting homeownership as a means to breaking the cycle of poverty.
Habitat for Humanity Canada was founded in 1985, consists of over 50,000 volunteers and 72 affiliate organizations from coast to coast, and is a member of Habitat for Humanity International, which spans 93 countries and has built over 350,000 homes worldwide, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for more than 1.75 million people.
About Habitat for Humanity’s Disaster Response
Habitat’s Disaster Response focuses on the housing needs that arise from natural disasters and humanitarian emergency conflicts. Habitat offers expertise in technical information; program design and implementation; and disaster response policies, protocols and procedures. They also provide support and informational resources for disaster mitigation and preparedness; helping communities in disaster-prone areas protect themselves against future threats.
How to Help Haiti After the Earthquake
January 13th 2010There’s a Niagara Escarpment community connection to Haiti. Georgetown is the location of the Canadian offices of Healing Hands for Haiti International Foundation Inc., which provides physical medicine and rehabilitation programs to Haitians with disabilities.
Eric Doubt of Georgetown is the executive director. Marnie Hughes of Georgetown shares this information: “Last November I had the privilege of being project coordinator for the International Conference of Healing Hands for Haiti in Toronto. I was fortunate to meet many individuals from Haiti, Canada and the U.S. who have dedicated the past 10 years to providing rehabilitative medicine and education to the disabled of Haiti. After yesterday’s devastating earthquake, what is left of their facility will be put to use helping, where possible, even more vulnerable Haitians. It would mean a great deal if you would consider directing your help to http://www.healinghandsforhaiti.org/. Thank you very much for considering this.”
Responses to Prime Minister Harper Proroguing Parliament Again
January 08th 2010 While watching The National on TV last night, I was struck by the discussion about our Prime Minister proroguing Parliament again, and the question of what citizens think about it, whether they’re rising up and objecting.
The topic came up earlier yesterday at a family birthday celebration, and all of us there expressed concern. We had also previously been talking about Nazi Germany, and it was easy to think of Hitler’s actions after being elected.
I have also had emails before now, about this latest act of our Prime Minister, from friends and associates who are not normally given to political commentary, all alarmed, displeased or cynically amused at what has happened. I believe that even when the Olympic excitement is over, we will remember this as an attempt to trick us with bread and circuses.
So the answer to Peter Mansbridge’s commentators’ question is yes, citizens are upset and talking. Consider this blog post one more expression of disapproval.
And whatever you think, your comments on this are important to the national discussion. I wonder what the Niagara Escarpment community thinks about it. Why not share your opinion here? It can’t hurt; it may help.
Seana McKenna, London’s Delmar and The Walzting Weasel, and War Vets
November 01st 2009Last weekend we saw our theatre columnist Seana McKenna in a performance about the lives and work of Robert and Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms. She read the narration while Susan Platts sang German Lieder to Rena Sharon’s piano accompaniment.
Mike had invited his Aunt Mac to this, so we picked her up in London. We lunched at the Delmar, a diner that doesn’t seem to have changed since it opened in the ‘50s or ‘60s. Aunt Mac told us she used to go to it when it was just a trailer.
The Delmar was packed that Sunday. Career waitresses served us quickly and efficiently from a simple menu of good food. We pointed out our feature article by Wally Davis about his WWII experience, and because he had been born in London, the waitress took a supply of copies to give out.
After the performance in St. Mary’s, we returned to London for supper at The Waltzing Weasel where Aunt Mac’s grandson Chad is manager. When Chad saw the article by his Uncle “Bunt,” he also took a stack of magazines.
It seems that once you have a connection with London, London remains interested in you. I think Wally Bunt Davis would be pleased.
Remembrance Day is approaching and I think we’ll attend a ceremony with Wally’s article to give out. There are fewer WWII vets alive each year and their memories are important to capture and value. I think Wally Bunt Davis would agree.
What are your thoughts about small towns, Remembrance Day or war veterans?
Canadians Dead in the Civil War
June 10th 2009We’ve had some gratifying responses to our feature article on Canadian Civil War re-enactors in our summer issue. The communications officer for the American Civil War Historical Re-enactment Society (ACWHRS), also sometimes known as “Miss Annabelle,” wrote “I was very pleased with the article you wrote and thank you very much, photos were great too. Also can I order more from you, of course I’d pay for them. I know some of our members would sure like to see the article.”
Then I got a letter from Tom Brooks of Gravenhurst, who stated “I was duly impressed. Rare is it for the flavour of Civil War re-enacting to be captured to the degree in which you did it. Kudos.”
He added, however, that contrary to what I had written, only 7,000 Canadians died in the Civil War. I had taken the figure of 14,000 from the ACWHRS program.
I checked with the communications officer, who replied “To receive a complimentary letter from Tom is a good thing…He is very impressed with your article and you. He thought it was one of the best articles he has seen.” She also said “Tom is the most knowledgeable person that I know of on Canadians in the Civil War… I would believe him as no one knows more than Tom on this subject and he has spent years researching it.” She said she had not seen the program handout but will look at getting it corrected.
Then she added the kind note “I can see that you are a person who likes to have their facts straight, which is a rarity to us when we have seen some of these articles that come out. That is one of the reasons I was also very impressed by yours and again for Tom to be complimentary about it is also a rarity.”
Although I made an honest mistake, I do like to get things correct, so I’ll be happy to make this correction. And this series of letters has to be one of the most appreciative ways of pointing out an error, that I’ve ever had!