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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-12-03, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2009. Darters advance Continued from page 2 teams will advance to District play. The first-place team was Ken Bird, Bob Richardson, Ron Schmidt and Gord Jacklin and the third-place team was John Harrison, Eric Ross, Andy Adams and Lawrence Machan. Saturday afternoon euchre saw eight tables of players hoping to be winners. There were two teams finishing the day with 82 points so they shared the first and second- prize money. They were Delores Howatt and Dorothy Dalton and Willis and Betty. The third prize went to Deanna and George with 71 points. The cards were not kind to Jean Bewley and Elunid McNair as they won low prize with 45 points. T he lone-hand winners of the day were Ariel Woods and Bush Whittard. The Thursday night darters had 17 enjoying the evening. The first-place team was Lawrence Machan and Glen Zehr. There was a five-way tie for second and after the playoff the winners were Sandra Josling and Gord Jacklin. A team narrowly missing a skunk in the playoffs was Norm Dobson, Eric Ross and Catrina Josling. The highs shots of the night were by Gord shooting 121 and Deb Cann shooting 125. High start of the night was by Don Scott with a 102. The more the merrier, so come out for a night of darts and fun for a buck, Thursdays at 8 p.m. The Friday night supper of spareribs was enjoyed by a crowd of over 35 people. This week will be ham and scalloped potatoes. The Sunday night dance crowd enjoyed the music of the Country Versatiles. Nearly 80 people heated up the dance floor. The early-bird membership discount is now over and members still needing to renew their memberships will now pay a little bit more. Comrade Greg Wilson would appreciate Comrades trying to pay their dues before the year end. New members are always welcome and can drop into the Branch for information or contact Comrade Greg Wilson. Cultivating character Some Grey Central Public School students took it upon themselves to gather enough food to fill a van and donate it to the local branch of the food bank. The school’s Character Club spearheaded the initiative, collecting this food in less than two weeks throughout the entire school. From left: Luke Seymour, Zachary Ducharme, Rebecca Subject, Adam Baan, Delayna Smith, Matthew Swart, Cody Rathwell, Lexi Smith, Alison Terpstra, Tiffany Deitner, Emma Strome, Jasmin Smith, Nick Kuepfer, Bryce Armstrong and Philip Seymour. (Shawn Loughlin photo) THE EDITOR, When you think about HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), do you believe it only lives in places such as Toronto, Vancouver and other metropolitan areas? If you do, you are not alone. The reality is: HIV affects many communities, both urban and rural and HIV lives in Huron County. In fact, the rate of infection for rural areas, Huron specifically, is on the increase. Eighty per cent of all HIV positive results completed at the London Options Clinic in 2007 were from Huron County! In Canada, every two hours there is a new HIV infection. Thirty per cent of the population do not know they are HIV positive. Important statistics to focus on include: since 2002, in Ontario there has been a 60 per cent increase in heterosexual transmission of HIV, and that women and youth continue to experience the highest rates of infection in all communities. Education and awareness about HIV is important for anyone who is sexually active, experimenting with drugs or contemplating a tattoo or piercings. As the executive director for the Huron County HIV/AIDS Network, many people I speak with are curious about Huron – specific data such as rates of infection, how many people in Huron are actually living with HIV/AIDS, etc? These are challenging questions to answer since not everyone living with HIV in Huron seeks HIV specific services. People living with HIV/AIDS (PHA), struggle in smaller communities with a lack of privacy. Oftentimes people in smaller, rural towns have personal connections to those who may be providing them with health care services. This has implications for an individual’s confidentiality/ anonymity. Seeking information about a highly- stigmatized medical condition such as HIV and remaining anonymous becomes difficult in a smaller community. The term AIDS-related stigma refers to the prejudice and discrimination directed at people living with HIV/AIDS because of the communities with which people assume they may be associated. As a result, PHAs may experience rejection from their home community, be shunned or discriminated against. Each year on Dec. 1, millions of people throughout the world commemorate World AIDS Day. World AIDS Day raises awareness of HIV and AIDS. The Huron County HIV/AIDS Network has a key role to play in education for HIV prevention and advocacy for universal treatment, care and support. Local secondary school students have been invited to participate in a poster or poem contest to show their knowledge of HIV in Huron County. The finished work was displayed at the Suncoast Mall in Goderich Nov. 27 - Dec. 1. It will also be available for viewing at youthspark.ca – a website for youth created through the Huron County Health Unit. If you have questions about HIV/AIDS, the Huron County HIV/AIDS Network or would like information about how to volunteer with HCHAN – please contact me at 519-482-1131, e-mail: hchan@cabletv.on.ca or check out our website at hchan.ca Sandy Garret Executive Director, HCHAN Letter to the editor Writer reminds HIV not just an urban issue THE EDITOR,The news was full of storiesof H1N1 vaccine clinics andhow vulnerable people in thehigh priority groups lined upfor hours in bad weather to gettheir immunization. It is therefore important that I compliment the Huron County Health Unit for the very organized clinic that they ran at Brookside School on Tuesday night, Nov. 3. I have a chronic condition and my wife is a nurse so we were both eligible to be immunized. We prepared for the evening clinic by dressing in coats and sweaters, ready to line up in the drizzle and the dark. When we arrived 30 minutes ahead of the start time we were impressed to find a fully- operational team. Parking lot attendants screened you as you drove in to ensure you were eligiblefor the flu shot and showedyou where to park, greeters atthe door guided you to a seriesof stations, the flu shot waspromptly administered andthe service was friendly and courteous throughout the experience. Networked laptops ensured that information flowed from station to station which eliminated that repetition of questions and answers that you find so often in health care. My wife and I were done in 25 minutes and that included the 15-minute wait to ensure we did not have a reaction. There are many benefits to living in Huron County and our health unit’s ability to organize and deliver mass immunization clinics is certainly one of them. Doug Walker. Letter to the editor The Hog Industry Loan Loss Reserve Program The Hog Industry Loan Loss Reserve Program assists pork producers in dealing with immediate liquidity pressures by providing long-term loans to hog operations. To be considered for a loan under the program, hog producers must provide a business plan to a participating financial institution which demonstrates that their business can be viable and has a reasonable prospect of repaying the loan. Eligible producers are individuals, partnerships, corporations and cooperatives that currently contribute to hog production in Canada. Applications will be accepted until March 1, 2010. However, producers are encouraged to present their business plan to a participating financial institution before the deadline to ensure access to government backed funding. For more information: Call 1-877-842-5601 Visit agr.gc.ca/HILLRP