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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2014-02-19, Page 22 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, February 19, 2014 Local woman had a heart of gold Whitney South Huron Expositor Christine Behnke, a woman whose charitable work throughout the Seaforth community helped so many, died Jan. 29, following a battle with cancer. According to her obituary, Christine led a full life doing what she loved and did best - feeding people. Christine knew that our ability to care and love is truly without limit, readily opening her heart to those in need of a little tender loving care. And for those who knew her, Christine was someone who was constantly looking out for those less fortunate and the first to lead the charge when someone needed a helping hand. Always a hard worker, the mother of three held several jobs around town through the years, until finally achieving her life-long dream of owning and operating her own business, the Seaforth Bakery, now Main Street Bakery. A familiar face to many, Chris- tine often opened the bakery doors for events meant to help those in need. Her yearly Easter Bonnet Tea would bring joy to retirement home residents who would enjoy a fun afternoon while being treat- ing to some of her delicious baked goods. And who could forget the time she challenged Foodland owner Steve DelChiaro to see who could gather the most donations for the food bank, collecting a total of 6,500 pounds of food, as well as $1,500 cash in the process. Herb McGowan, food bank coordinator, first met Christine when he moved to town almost eight years ago. "She was a huge supporter of the food bank and people in need, sometimes sacrificing her own needs for the good of others," he said. "I don't think Christine had a selfish bone in her body:' Together they created Souper Saturday, an annual cooking com- petition, raising much needed funds for the local food bank. This year, Herb has decided to rename the Souper Saturday awards the Christine Behnke Culi- nary awards in her honour. "I know she would've liked that," he said. "She was one of the kind- est and more generous people I knew and she never expected any- thing in return:' Seaforth Ward Coun. Bob Fisher described Christine as a lady with a heart of gold who would Christine Behnke occasionally show her feisty side, especially when it came to any- thing she felt strongly about. Remembering all the work she had done with so many organiza- tions, Bob remembers one time in particular when Christine helped put together the Cash for Splash fundraiser for the Seaforth Lions Club which helped raise over $20,000. "She would focus on things she found important," he said. "She was always helpful with the Lions Club and so many others. She real- ized the overall strength of a com- munity had to come from the entire community as a whole Ralph Wood met Christine for Tanning Special Monday February 24 - Saturday March 1 PURCHASE 10 LAYDOWN TANS AND RECEIVE 5 TANS FREE! OR PURCHASE 50 STANDUP MINUTES AND RECEIVE 30 MINUTES FREE! All Tanning Accelerators 15% Off All Weekl.!-- Chance to WIN free laming products with every tanning packagu puralase! AustralianCold j, '4--„,1111901' j - 4f, Nst_. ;IA 111111 A .59 Main St, S., Seaforth 519-521-0160 vattalolakimageii.om Hours: mom aam to 6pm Tun.- Thurs. gam to Bprrn *RI_ gam to7pm Sat. gral to 2pm the first time when he was doing some electrical work at the Queen's Hotel, where she worked in the kitchen. "She was very outgoing and talkative and very, very friendly," he laughed. "I think she was always trying to help some- body else." When Ralph was injured in an accident while out hunting seven years ago, Chris- tine immediately jumped into action, organizing a fundraiser on his behalf -while he was still in the hospital. The event, which raised funds to help with medical expenses, was something Ralph says he'll never forget. "She was over the top on it," he said. "She was the main person that got it going, she really had a heart of gold:' A true inspiration, Christine's memory lives on in the work she has done and the lives she has touched. A memorial visitation will be held at McGlynn Family Funeral Home on Fri- day, Feb. 21 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. A memorial service to celebrate Christine's life will be held at the funeral home on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 11 a.m. Pastor Stephen Hildebrand will be officiating the service and a reception will follow at Egmondville United Church. Fraser Institute elementary school rankings released QM! Agency The Fraser Institute has released its 2014 rankings of over 3,000 elementary schools in Ontario, but the local school board believes the report is "flawed" for a number of reasons. The rankings are based on nine aca- demic indicators from the results of Grade 3 and Grade 6 reading, writing and math tests administered by the province's Equality Quality and Accountability (EQAO) during the 2012-13 school year. St. James Catholic received a ranlcing of 1,218th, while Seaforth Public finished 1,293th out of the 3,030 schools included, both private and public. Goderich Public School received a ranking of 312th and Clinton Public School 1,079th. St. Mary's in Goderich was ranked 2,023rd, and St. Joseph in Clinton was 2,791st. Holmesville Public School, which closed last year, was ranked 1,079th. Despite the rankings receiving a high degree of attention from media across the province, officials from the Avon Maitland District School Board (AMDSB) believe the rankings are "flawed': "There are many other parts of the whole picture. Only using EQAO scores is not a way to rank schools," said Steve Howe, manager of communications for AMDSB. "It's a one -day report, it's not fair to students, staff, administration and parents." With that said, Howe explained that AMDSB doesn't simply dismiss the Fraser Institute rankings. "We like to look any indicators we can get," he said, adding that there have been cases where AMDSB schools have received awards from the Fraser Institute for improvement. However, Howe said ranking schools can have far reaching effects on a the indi- vidual communites "What does that do for the students and staff of lower ranked schools," he said. He also criticized the institute for using median family incomes as a factor. "It shouldn't be based on income," he said. "Any student, whether they come from a family that is wealthy or not so well off, will get the same support." Annual showcase for Dance Techniques coming up Twenty-five competitive teams from Goderich, Seaforth, Brussels, Clinton, Blyth and Exeter will compete on Sat. Feb. 22 in an annual showcase presented by Dance Techniques. Shows run at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the Blyth Festival Theatre. Some of their choreographers have been in So You Think You Can Dance Canada, Cirque du Soleil's Quidam and this past year's Much Music Video awards show (performing for Marianas Trench). Team members themselves are quite accomplished with a couple being accepted to the National Circus School's summer preparatory program (home of Cirque du Soleil), finalist at Western Fair, and winners of local talent shows includ- ing the Walkerton Arts Festival, Goderich Summerfest and Youth Talent search at Clinton Fain This year you will be able to see Jazz, Tap, Acro, Hip Hop, Contemporary/Lyri- cal, and open styles of dance as well as musical theatre, which is new this year. The local team will be travelling to five competitions this year and perform in numerous community performances. Team members range in age from five to 17 and train eight to 15 hours per week.